


Things We Lost

by Hecallsmehischild



Series: Just Legends [1]
Category: Ghost - Mystery Skulls (Music Video), Greek and Roman Mythology, Mystery Skulls (Band)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Burns, F/M, Psychological Trauma, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-14
Updated: 2015-10-13
Packaged: 2018-04-20 16:45:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 28
Words: 60,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4794827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hecallsmehischild/pseuds/Hecallsmehischild
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are secrets you keep because you're afraid. Secrets you keep because the truth is too terrible to remember. And secrets that refuse to stay buried. And as Arthur, Vivi, and the Pepper family try to piece themselves back together in the wake of Lewis' death, everybody's secrets begin to surface.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Mystery Skulls - Ghost](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/144326) by Mystery Ben and the Mystery Skulls. 



_For failure, see your feathers stripped_

_Let all your children's fates be tipped_

_The early death of eldest son_

_The firstborn's mind to come undone_

_The second one to kill and rage_

_The third to live within my cage_

-Demeter's curse on the Siren, Teles

…..

Her eyes were stinging. Something was dripping into her eyes, and her lids closed reflexively. There was a spike in the ambient noise around her-ambient? No, it was a panicky bustle. Someone was sobbing. The voice sounded familiar. She put her fingers to her lips. No, it wasn't her, her lips weren't moving.

Something was passing in front of her face. Several somethings. Sticks, maybe. No, fingers. She blinked again. Who had taken her glasses?

The same sound was being made over and over. Her lips moved in automatic response. Was that her name? What was her name?

Vivi. Vivi was her name. How could she have forgotten? What a silly thing to forget.

Something was wrong. She squinted, feeling for her glasses. She always left them on the nightstand. Her hand knocked against a plastic guardrail and she froze. She had no plastic guardrail. The fingers now held her chin, forcing her to stare into a stranger's eyes. The stranger was moving his mouth and pointing a light in her eyes. She tried to pull her face back, but the grip held firm.

The sounds were beginning to form themselves into words. She could hear her name being called, and someone was crying. She knew that voice, but she still couldn't place it.

"Can you hear me?" the stranger said insistently, as if he'd been saying this all along.

"Yeah, I can hear you, what's going on? Where are my glasses?" She reached for her nightstand again-there was no nightstand. "Where are my glasses?" she repeated. She could feel the plastic frames tucked into her hands, and she fumbled them onto her face. Her hands were shaking, she noted. Why were they shaking?

Squire was screaming. Her legs swung off the bed-she was in a hospital bed?-and her feet hit the floor. The stranger grabbed her arm, restraining her. "Miss, you need to stay in bed, you're in shock and you shouldn't be up."

"My friend is screaming and you expect me to sit down?" she demanded.

"We're doing everything we can for him. The sedatives will kick in shortly and we'll be able to operate."

"Operate?" She blanched. "Wh-what are you talking about? Why are we in the hospital? What happened?"

"That's what we'd like to know, Miss. Your ID says Vivi Kimura. Your friend is identified as Arthur Kingsman, and the ID on the body said Lewis Pepper."

Stars burst behind her eyes as her head throbbed. Had it been throbbing this whole time and she'd just noticed? She wobbled, and the stranger-Doctor, she corrected herself-laid her back down. "What happened to Squire?"

"It looks like he was mauled by an animal. We're doing all we can for him, but did you see the animal? Mr. Kingsman is unable to answer at the moment, and it would help us to know what attacked him."

Vivi shook her head. "I didn't see anything, we were just driving around, and suddenly I'm here. Did we get in a wreck?"

"No, the van is intact. We're having it towed from the cave."

"Cave?" Vivi echoed.

"You were found just outside a cave with Mr. Kingsman. We received his call, but he passed out by the time the ambulance arrived. Your dog is being kept in the pound until you can reclaim him."

"But we weren't at a cave, we were driving!" she insisted. "Arthur and Mystery and me, we were looking for a good haunt to stakeout."

"And Mr. Pepper," the doctor added.

Vivi stared blankly at the man. "Who?"

"Mr. Pepper. His body was recovered from the cave."

"I'm sorry for him, but I don't know who that is. He wasn't with us."

The doctor studied her for a moment. "Miss Kimura, have you been drinking tonight? Have you ingested any recreational drugs?"

Vivi's shoulders tensed. "I take Lamictal, nothing else, and I don't drink."

The doctor nodded, taking notes on a clipboard. "Any trouble with PTSD or dissociation?"

"I thought you were a doctor, not a shrink," she snapped. "No, none of that. What's going on?"

"I'm going to need the name and number of your prescribing psychiatrist." He deflected her question with unsettling calm.

"Fine, where's my purse?"

He handed her the large blue purse, and she dug through it. If she could get to her cellphone, she could call Lance. Squire would need him right away. Maybe she could get Kay to come too, she always knew how to calm him down, and he'd need all the support he could get. After she gave the doctor her psychiatrist's number, of course.

Her hand hit hard plastic, and she retrieved her phone from the depths. The casing was cracked, and a line split down the image on the custom cover. She frowned, peering at the cartoon on the back. It didn't look familiar. When had she gotten a purple alpaca on her phone?

Pain split down her skull to the base of her neck and she fell back on the bed, gasping. She could hear the doctor calling for help as darkness sucked at the edge of her vision. Hands searched her arms for veins, poking needles into her skin as she slipped farther into darkness.


	2. Things Will Never Be The Same

_"Mom!" Kay screamed, pelting into the living room as fast as her feet could carry her. "Mom there's a boy at the door!"_

_Mom glanced up from the songbook she held, fingers tucked under the next page. "A boy?"_

_"It's awfully late for visitors," Dad mused, closing his leatherbound journal._

_"He's hurt!" Kay ran to Mom, tugging her sweater-sleeve._

_SNAP._

_The songbook flipped shut and sailed through the air to land haphazardly by the fireplace, and Mom was already halfway across the room by the time Dad rose from his chair, his hand reaching for the cellphone in his pocket._

_The kitchen door stood flung wide, as Kay had left it when she saw the battered boy crumpled on the stoop. Mom dove for his form, turning him face-up carefully. His head lolled, revealing gaunt cheeks and heavy bruising. When Mom brushed back his shaggy, matted brown hair, her hand came away red._

_"9-1-1?" Dad had the phone to his ear. "We have a kid on our porch, looks to be about-"_

_The boy's eyes flew open, one hand reaching up to grab Mom's shoulder. "Don't!" he rasped. "They'll find me! Please… I'm okay. Just some food, please. I'll go, promise!"_

_Kay clutched at the doorframe, her yellow nightdress flapping as a chill breeze gusted in. She shivered at the cold, and the boy's body doubled up against the night wind. His clothes were torn and bloodstained. Through the ripped cloth she could see scars and other, darker marks on his skin._

_Dad glanced down at Mom, who shook her head. He clicked his phone off, still holding it at the ready as Mom gathered the boy into her arms and pulled him inside. Kay couldn't see his face once Mom stood, but heard him cry out at the sudden movement._

_"Kay, grab some food from the fridge. Anything. And some water too." Mom laid the boy on the couch as Dad vanished into the back hallway, returning with a damp cloth, gauze, and disinfectant._

_Kay darted to the fridge, standing on her tiptoes to reach the drink shelf. She grabbed a small bottle of water, tucking it under her arm and crouching down to rifle through the crisper. She palmed an apple and scampered back to the living room, leaving the fridge door hanging open. Unscrewing the cap, she slipped the bottle to Mom._

_Mom lifted the boy's head up carefully, slowly dripping water into his mouth. He swallowed, his lips parting again for more. Mom poured a steady trickle until the bottle was empty. Dad pulled back the matted hair, and Kay gasped at the gash along his hairline. Dad dabbed the area carefully, wiping away the blood to better see the wound._

_The boy finally opened his eyes, sucking in a breath. "Didyoucall?" he blurted._

_"Easy, kid. Hold still." Dad applied disinfectant as the boy winced. "What's your name?"_

_"L-Lewis." He gulped, eyes darting between the adults. His nails were bitten ragged, Kay noted, as she pressed the apple into his hand. He recoiled from her, grabbing a couch cushion and holding it in front of his chest like a shield. The apple dropped to the floor, rolling under the couch._

_Bewildered, Kay stepped back. "Mom, why's he here? What happened to him?"_

_"You call anyone?" Lewis stared at Mom. "Anyone know I'm here?"_

_"Who would know?" Mom matched his stare. "Who did this to you?"_

_"Can't, they'll find me." He tried to push himself up, but couldn't raise himself. "Door… locked?"_

_Dad stood, heading toward the front door._

_"It will be in a minute." Mom set her hands on Lewis' shoulders, pushing him down. "Hold still, we're not done with that head wound."_

_"N-no, can't stay. J-just some food, I'll go, please."_

_"You're not going anywhere young man, not until we clean you up." Nobody argued with Mom when she used that tone, and Lewis stopped fighting to sit up. Mom reached under the couch for the apple, wiping it off on her sleeve. "Kay, it's past your bedtime. Go check on your sister, and go to bed."_

_"I can't sleep NOW!" Kay protested. "What if we get robberied?"_

_"Cayenne, I said go to bed, not go to sleep. If you can't sleep, then lay in bed, but right now I want you marching down the hall. If I don't hear the door click in fifteen seconds, there's going to be trouble."_

_Kay turned on her heel, fleeing down the hall. She bit back angry words as she entered the room she and her sister shared, being very, very careful to just close the door. No slamming._

_She hoped when she woke up the strange Lewis-boy was gone. Maybe it was all a dream and he was never really here anyway. She liked that. She slid into bed, curling up next to her sister and pulling the toddler's sweat-soaked curls back. Aji mumbled in her sleep._

_"S'okay Aji. Tomorrow he won't be here, and everything's gonna be normal again."_

…..

Kay's stomach rolled as her parents' van screeched into the hospital parking lot. She threw the sliding door open before the full stop, stumbling as her feet hit the blacktop. "Please come identify the body," was the message they'd found on their phone that morning, but they had to be mistaken. She'd just seen Lewis yesterday. He'd finally finished that violin piece he'd been writing for her birthday. He'd promised to let her read the sheet music for it when he got back.

She could hear matching footsteps slamming hard behind her. Aji was hot on her heels, and Dulcie's panicky sobs were fading behind them as the sisters burst into the hospital lobby. Kay darted up to the front desk, grabbing the edge of the granite counter. "Lewis Pepper!" she gasped. "Lewis Pepper, where's his room?"

The receptionist set her fingers to the keyboard in front of her. "How do you spell that?"

"You don't know how to spell Lewis?" Aji snapped.

"Aji, cool it! It's L-E-W-I-S P-E-P-P-E-R." Kay watched the receptionist's fingers tap out her brother's name, then go still. Lead collected in her gut as the receptionist's perfectly manicured hand wrapped around the nearby phone, red nails clicking against the numbered buttons. "Doctor Noble? The Pepper family is here. Yes. I will." She set the phone back down, and Kay couldn't tear her eyes away from those blood red nails. "The Doctor will be down shortly."

"Why aren't you telling us his room number?" Aji's voice spiked higher. "Just tell us how to get there, we'll take it from there! Mom, Dad, they're not giving us his room number!"

Kay could hear Dulcie's hiccuping sobs again. Mom was murmuring something under her breath.

"I'm sure they'll tell us in a minute, Aji." Dad's voice was as calm as ever, smoothing over her anxiety. He was right, of course. It was a mistake, they didn't mean 'body' they were going to bring them over to Lewis and he'd crack a joke about the mixup, and everyone would laugh.

"Mr. Pepper? Mrs. Pepper? I'm Doctor Noble." Kay turned slowly, taking in the white labcoat and scrubs. She couldn't raise her eyes to the Doctor's face. Lewis was fine. He'd be embarrassed they made such a fuss, really.

"Doctor Noble, how is Lewis?" Dad was measuring his words carefully, she could tell by the way he held each one before letting it loose.

"I'm sorry Mr. Pepper, but if it is your son, he was dead on arrival."

Everything tilted ever so slightly to the left. Aji grabbed her arm, fingers digging into her skin.

"From what we can gather from where he was found, and where his friends were, they went exploring a cave and Lewis fell from a ledge. I just came out of the operating room, do you know Arthur Kingsman or Vivi Kimura?"

"Yes." Dad's voice was cracked now, and everything tilted more, and the fingers were digging in harder.

"Mr. Kingsman's uncle is with him for now. We will need statements from him and Ms. Kimura later. But for now, please. I know this is a difficult time, but we need you to identify the body."

Mom was still murmuring over and over. It would be fine, Mom wouldn't have to worry. It wasn't Lewis, it was someone else. Someone else's family would be crying tonight, but not their family.

"Aji, will you stay here with Dulcie?" Dad's voice was farther away, almost echoey. The pressure on her arm vanished, replaced by a firm, warm grip that steered her down a sterile hallway, Mom's voice ricocheting off the walls until she could hear the words being repeated.

"The early death of eldest son. The early death of eldest son. The early death…"

They passed through two or three sets of doors, the temperature dropping as they continued. She began to see gurneys with tagged toes at the end of them. Rows and rows of tagged toes, waiting to be claimed like baggage. Finally Dad tugged her arm, pulling her to a stop in front of an unmistakable pair of feet bearing a blank tag.

_"You're ridiculous, you know that, right? Every other part of your body gets a growth spurt, but you've still got baby feet! What's up with that?"_

The room was sideways now, and Doctor' Noble was calling for help, and Mom was sobbing and Dad was holding her and she wanted to say it was still a mistake, that it couldn't be Lewis, but even from this angle she could see the tuft of purple sticking out from the other end of the gurney.

_Please. I want to wake up now. I want to wake up, and Lewis will be there, and everything will be normal again._


	3. Shattered Into Ash

 

Faces swam in and out of Arthur's vision. Someone was stabbing his shoulder. Something in his chest was bleeding, it must be. Nothing could hurt like that without some sort of internal injury being attached.

But he was thousands of years old, he couldn't possibly be injured like that. None had dared come against him like that. He made sure they knew it too. Made sure they remembered who was truly in charge.

He was not thousands of years old. He was 22, and someone had to be stabbing his shoulder. Numbness spread through his veins and settled around his shoulder, spreading to his mind. His thoughts slowed to a sluggish crawl, but the injury in his chest hadn't stopped.

The faces were swimmier, fuzzier at the edges. Most of them weren't familiar. Panicky faces with blue masks. Fearful women hugging children, praying they weren't next. Uncle Lance, asking something he couldn't hear. A knife flashing, blood flowing. Uncle Lance arguing with a blue-faced masker. Lewis shouting at him, "You don't know what you're getting into, I said no!" A dog, muzzle bared in a snarl, standing over him.

The pleasant numbness drained from his mind as the dog came into sharp clarity. Arthur threw himself back, pressing hard against pillows, his heart slamming triple time. He threw out an arm to shove Mystery off, but nothing happened.

He looked down to his left. His shoulder tapered off into a mass of medical bandaging that circled his chest several times to keep it in place. There was no arm there to fend the dog off with. He jerked to the other side, lifting his right arm and flexing the fingers.

"Take a moment. Assess your surroundings." Arthur's head whipped up. He'd never heard that voice before. Mystery sat just to the side of Arthur's legs on the bed-bed? When?-and watched him. "When you're calmer," Arthur yanked his legs close to himself as Mystery opened his mouth and spoke, "I will explain what I can."

Explain? Explain what? Arthur reeled. Why Mystery was speaking? Why his memories were suddenly full of things he'd never experienced and people he'd never seen? Why his arm was gone? Oh.

The cave.

Arthur grabbed a fistful of sheets, focusing on the sensation of cloth in his hand. Pillows at his back. The simple act of taking in air. Assess his surroundings? He could do that.

The first thing he noted was the darkness. Moonlight through the wide-open window gave some dim illumination to the room he was in, and some light shone under the crack in the doorway. Monitors beeped and blipped nearby, and in the corner a stocky figure sat propped up in a plastic chair, sawing logs.

Uncle Lance.

Arthur glanced down at himself, touching the bandages gingerly. IVs ran along his remaining arm, and he took more care moving it. It was probably feeding him ungodly amounts of morphine to keep the pain down. But he was thinking awfully clearly for ungodly amounts of…

Oh. Right. Mystery was sitting on the bed with him. Mystery, who'd just opened his mouth and told Arthur to calm down. Mystery, who had been tearing off left arm the last time he'd seen him, because Mystery was obviously not just a dog, and had come back to finish the job.

Mystery sighed deeply, and Arthur realized he had pressed himself into the farthest corner of the bed and curled into the smallest ball he could make. Mystery scooted himself backward to the very edge of the bed and lay down with his chin on his forepaws, ears drooping. Arthur wasn't fooled. This creature was a dangerous animal, a monster that had to be stopped. How had Vivi never noticed she was housing a-a-THING like this? It had ripped his arm clean off after… after…

He sucked in a breath, his mouth hanging open.

Lewis. No. He uncurled, thrusting a pointed finger at Mystery, the demand to know if Lewis was alright filling his throat.

His throat closed on the words, choking him. Knives dragged along skin, releasing the appeasing scent of blood. Death. He clawed at his mouth, his lips pressed tight together, his lungs hauling air in and in but nothing came out.

Paws shoved hard at his chest, pushing him back. Mystery lay down on his stomach, resting his head just over Arthur's heart. The staccato beat began to slow, the adrenaline draining out of his system and leaving him exhausted. He glanced at the heart-rate monitor, still beeping a steady rhythm.

"Your doing?" He meant to say, but all that came out was a strangled grunt.

Mystery lifted his head, and Arthur could see his blood red eyes. He'd always thought it was a strange eye color for a dog, but Vivi brushed him off every time.

"I'm not here to hurt you, Arthur. If I wanted to kill you, you wouldn't even know it until you woke in the afterlife." The dog's eyes shifted slightly to Arthur's left. "I was merely… too late."

Arthur opened his mouth to ask about Lewis, but his gut clenched and he turned his head, dry heaving.

"Stop trying!" Mystery growled. "You've been damaged, and all you're doing is aggravating yourself."

Arthur swallowed his words with bile, turning back to face the not-dog. He lifted his hand, making a large, round gesture just in front of his forehead.

"Lewis." Mystery lowered his head. "As I said, I was too late. His body is in the hospital morgue."

Grief was a strange thing, Arthur thought. It felt as though someone had cut strings between his heart and his mind. He wasn't sure whether the sounds he was making were human or not, they didn't seem human. His hand was shaking as he lifted it again, and he wondered why he couldn't control either the trembling or the sounds. He tried to think of a gesture to define Vivi, and settled on the "victory" sign.

"She is well. They're holding her overnight for observation. Her co-workers have been contacted, as her only other emergency contacts were you and Lewis." Mystery's lips pulled back in distaste. "They will be by to pick her up in the morning, by which time I must return to the pound to be reclaimed." He paused. "I don't know how long you will be here. I'm…" his ears drooped. "I am truly sorry."

Arthur's noises had lessened some, but he was still moaning. He wished he could stop, but at least Uncle Lance's snoring covered it. The man's snores could, and often did, shake their house, and for once he was grateful. He lifted his hand for one more question, pointing at his own head, and then to his mouth.

Hesitating, Mystery switched his tail back and forth. "I have my suspicions, but answering that would require an inspection of sorts, a rather intrusive one."

His cheeks were wet and it was hard to breathe through his nose. He took a moment to scrub his face with a handful of hospital sheet before pointing to his head again, more firmly. Inclining his head, Mystery reared back, placing his paws on Arthur's chest and touching a wet nose to his forehead.

For the second time that night, a mind not his own entered his head, and he nearly screamed. He had asked for this, why had he asked for this to happen again?

But it wasn't the same. This presence didn't push him aside, didn't assume control, didn't even silence him. It merely flowed through his memories, picking through every second of the evening since they entered the cave up to that moment. He could feel the stark contrast of the memories that were not his own as Mystery encountered them, examined them, and set them aside. His anxiety lessened as more time passed and the only thing Mystery did was observe.

Eventually, Mystery withdrew from his mind and sat back on his haunches, head bent and tail still. "The demon was in you. It took your arm, and would have taken more, but it was careless. It didn't shield its mind, it must not have deemed it important enough. Now you have several of its memories. There are more, scattered around in your mind, but the less time I spend there the better it is for you. The demon damaged you."

Arthur pointed to his mouth, and Mystery nodded. "Yes, that's how."

His whole body was trembling at this point, and wiping his face clean did no good anymore. All he could see was the horror on Lewis' face as that thing…

It had _used_ him. It had murdered Lewis, and he had been the weapon.

Mystery glanced nervously at the door to the room. "I must be back at the pound to be claimed, if they haven't already missed me. I will make sure we visit you." He turned pleading eyes on Arthur. "Arthur, there are reasons why I don't go around talking or running around in my true form. The less you know about it, the safer you are. Vivi does not know, and she is now the safer of the two of you. Please do not tell-well, alert-her."

Rocking, Arthur nodded his head. Mystery slipped down from the bed and leaped up to the window, disappearing through it.

Arthur rolled onto his good side, drawing his knees to his chest. What was he going to tell Vivi?

What was he going to tell Kay?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so hints at further canon have come out today. However, I've already set too many things in motion to bend to the new canon information. Therefore, the only canon I will be following pertains to character profiles released on Chloe, Duet, the Peppers, Lewis, Mystery, Vivi, Arthur, and Lance. i.e. the first and second rounds of canon. Whenever the third round hits, I will find all my inaccuracies, sigh, and continue on with them. Just like last time. That said I'M STILL PUMPED ANOTHER VIDEO IS IN THE WORKS. The only source of the "mute Arthur" headcanon I can find is dontfeeddaelves and zeroroheichou and darkfire-kai, so there be the credit for that adopted headcanon! Although I tweaked the reason...


	4. I Was The Match

_Vivi twitched in her booth, barely able to contain herself. Lewis was going to love this. It was fantastic, and Squire would know just what to do for it too. Five minutes 'til Squire got there, five minutes 'til Lewis' shift ended and they got the biggest surprise of their lives. She kicked her shoes under the table, spinning out the scenario in her head. They'd be thrilled, Lewis would probably pick her up and spin her around. Arthur would want to see it right away and get elbow-deep in it._

_Under the table, Mystery rubbed his face against her leg for the fifth time that day, whining. She reached down to rub his ears. "I'm good, buddy. Quit whining, it's just a good day. It's not what you think." She let her thoughts wander, and her heart beat faster as she ran through that morning in her mind again. She couldn't wait, he'd be so proud of her!_

_"Vivi, wherever did you find it?" she murmured under her breath, drawing spirals on the tabletop with her index finger. "Such a steal, what would we do without you?"_

_"Talking to yourself today?" An arm wrapped around her shoulders as a large form settled next to her in the booth. "What's the occasion?" An amused smile played at the edges of Lewis' lips._

_"Guess," she chirped, grinning like a fool. "You get three between you and Squire."_

_"You got that collector's book on ancient deities you've been drooling over." Arthur slid into the opposite booth. He folded his hands and glanced at the kitchen, only half attending her._

_"Nope, two more!"_

_"Mystery's the proud mother of a new litter?" Lewis teased. A growl sounded from under the table as Vivi laughed, throwing her arms around Lewis._

_"No, you big dork. C'mon. What've you guys been moaning about all summer?"_

_Arthur blinked, his attention snapping full square to Vivi, and Lewis' eyes widened. "Wait, you didn't-"_

_"It's out in the parking lot!" she squealed, squeezing Lewis tight. "I got it today, can you believe it? We have our own van!"_

_Lewis' eyes shifted to Arthur, whose eyebrows drew together._

_Ignoring them, she plunged ahead. "I was thinking, if we pooled our extra funds, and I know we don't have a lot extra but we've got enough to get the basics, we could get some secondhand equipment and Arthur can do his MacGuyver upgradermajigger magic on it all and we'll be in business! We'll make it all back and start getting our name out there!"_

_Now they were staring hard at each other, and the euphoria was draining away, leaving a deep gut-burning sensation._

_Vivi pulled back, her breath hitching. "Why are you looking at each other like that? Don't do that, don't think I don't know what you're doing! I'm fine, I just bought a van!"_

_"With what money, Vee?" Lewis reached for her hand, but she pulled back._

_"Never you mind!" she snapped. "I can make the payments, and as soon as Squire fixes it up, we'll finally have working transportation for the gang."_

_Arthur groaned. "Vivi, if you're telling me it's a fixer-upper… and you're making payments on it… whatever you signed for was too much."_

_"Why didn't you wait for us?" Lewis laid a hand on her shoulder, and she could feel it burning through her shirt. His touch wasn't comforting anymore. He was judging her, she could feel it. So was Arthur. They thought she was stupid, that she couldn't do these things herself._

_Mystery whined louder, bumping against her leg._

_"I'm not!" she shrilled at the tabletop. "Don't act like I am, I'm perfectly level! I'm not an idiot!"_

_"Nobody said you were, Vee," Lewis assured her. "Can you take a few breaths and-"_

_"How about you back off! If you don't wanna use the van then fine, I'll drive it myself!" Lewis was blocking her way out, and she wanted away from both of them. "I don't need Squire to fix it either, I'm sure duct tape will do a better job." She pulled her knees up and leveraged herself up onto the table, scooting to the edge and bypassing Lewis entirely. She marched toward the door._

_A massive hand wrapped around her arm, halting her. She spun on her heel, ready to give him a piece of her mind._

_The soft squint of his eyes stopped her, his lips pressed together. He didn't speak, only held onto her arm, silently pleading with her._

I did it, again.

_And it all came crashing down. The bank balance she'd ignored that morning flashed through her mind again, and she shut her eyes, pressing her face against his chest. Her signature was still wet on the salesman's contract, and she already knew there would be no getting out of this._

_"I'm so stupid," she croaked. "Why couldn't I listen to Mystery, he was warning me all day…"_

_"How long?" Lewis prodded gingerly._

_"I don't remember. Maybe three weeks."_

_A third hand rested on her shoulder as Arthur butted in. "It's okay. We'll figure it out, yeah? Gimme a few hours to see what we've got, I'm sure I can make her roll."_

_Lewis nodded above her head. "Think you could whip up something to help her remember to take… y'know?"_

_"I'm sure I can think of something."_

….

Even before she opened her eyes, Vivi knew something was terribly wrong. Snatches of conversation filtered into her consciousness, and none of the voices were familiar. Her sheets didn't feel right either. They weren't the soft flannel she was used to.

Right. The hospital. She opened her eyes, homing in on the doctor, who was in hushed discussion with a nurse.

"Excuse me?" She licked her lips, surprised by how brittle she sounded. Her tongue lay thick and heavy, and she tried to swallow as the doctor turned to her. "Water…"

The nurse hurried out of the room as the doctor leaned over Vivi, pulling a light from his pocket and shining it in her eyes again. "You were out for most of the night. You'll have to excuse me, apparently you're a bit of a celebrity. I don't get out much, but my staff has informed me we have you and your team to thank for our city's downward trend in paranormal activity." He paused as the nurse returned with a plastic cup of water. Vivi took it, ignoring the bendy draw and gulping down the water in three mouthfuls. "I'm truly sorry about your loss."

_Oh gods, why now?_

It had been three years, but she placed the feeling instantly. Her stomach bottomed out and her chest caved in. The empty cup slid from her nerveless fingers, hitting the too-smooth sheets and darkening them with stray drops. Monitors nearby beeped erratically as her heart rate picked up speed.

She grabbed the doctor's sleeve, trying to focus on the white of his coat. "What loss?" she rasped. "I remember you. You kept talking about some guy who died nearby, and wouldn't tell me about Arthur. Did Arthur die?"

"Mister Kingsman is very much alive. He's stabilized, although we need to keep him for a few days for observation. His uncle is here."

"Then you don't have to be sorry. I didn't lose anything."

The doctor, whose nametag read Smith, exchanged looks with the nurse. "Pardon me, I'm not the expert on the Mystery Skulls, but my associates say you were quite close with Lewis Pepper."

Someone was shoving her lungs so full of glass and spikes she couldn't breathe. How could this be happening? She'd been _good_! She'd found a foolproof way to remind herself and she'd been dosing herself every night like she was supposed to. The last time she'd had one this bad had been _before_ the Lamictal. How long was it supposed to take meds to leave your system? She'd taken them last night, hadn't she?

But what had happened last night?

"Doctor… Smith… I can't remember last night, and I'm telling you, I don't know any Lewis Pepper. I know Kay Pepper, and Aji and Dulcie and Mr. and Mrs. Pepper, but no Lewis."

"You're in shock, you're agitating yourself." Doctor Smith sat slowly on the edge of the bed. "Take a few deep breaths. I spoke with your psychiatrist, and called the emergency contacts on your phone. Well… the third one. Lewis is… and Arthur is indisposed at the moment. Your co-workers are in the lobby, waiting to take you home."

"Yeah well they can wait until I talk to Arthur and find out what the moldy brickwax is going on around this quack joint." Her arms were trembling, and she let go of Doctor Smith's sleeve to hold her own forearms still. Every breath hurt, and she knew she needed to get to a dark, quiet place fast, but that voice was very small. Something was horribly wrong, and she had to make sure Arthur was alright. "I'm not leaving 'til I talk to him!"

"I can't allow that right now, but I can ask his uncle to speak with you."

"Lance is here? I'll take Lance." She could feel her fingernails digging through her sweater sleeves. "Can you get these tubes off me? I'm fine, right? I'll be leaving with my co-workers."

The nurse vanished through the door again, and the doctor peered at her carefully. He pulled at the tape and carefully swabbed needled-in areas clean before before sliding the IVs out and bandaging her. "Are you sure Miss Kimura? Your psychiatrist said-"

"You're not my psychiatrist," she snapped, rubbing her arm. Every move she made in slow motion. There were weights at her wrists, her elbows, and strapped to her neck.

_There are no weights, it's not real!_

Maybe if she just lay back down and stopped responding, then he would go away. Then at least she'd be alone with her shredded breathing and leaden bones.

_One way ticket to a drugged up haze and white huggy jackets._

She slid her legs over the side of the bed and stood, carefully. "See, I'm fine." She forced a steadiness she didn't believe into her voice. A flash of orange appeared at the doorway, and she crossed her arms again. "Whatever paperwork I have to sign to get out of here, I want it. Can you give me a minute with Lance?"

Doctor Smith sighed, exchanging looks with the nurse once more, who nodded.

 _Of course they told him I was going off the deep end._ There would be holes in her sweater arms if she kept this up. _It's okay. Lance knows better._

The squat mechanic closed the door after the doctor, turning to face her with a grim expression.

"How's Squire?" she demanded. "They won't tell me."

"Left arm's gone." Lance tugged hard at his beard, rolling a few loose strands between his fingers. "Some critter ripped it off. And he won't talk. And I hear tell you don't know nothin' about last night, or Lewis, so I can't expect answers from you, can I?"

Her knees wobbled as his words hit her like shrapnel, each progressively robbing her of more oxygen. The floor met her knees, and suddenly Lance was there, grabbing her arm.

"Don't lose it, girlie. I'm sorry. They said you were in a bad state… it's been a long night. Shouldn't'a yelled. But Lewis, how? How couldn't you know?"

She yanked her arm free, staring at Lance. "Don't fudge with my head, Lance. Who's Lewis? Why does everyone… but you… YOU wouldn't do that… am I going crazy?" Her eyes widened, and she latched onto his arm. "Lance, please, I don't wanna be locked up."

_They're coming to take me away, ha-ha, they're coming to take me away._

"Calm down. Listen girlie, you trust me?"

Everything was ragged at the edges, but she tilted her head forward and back once.

"Good. Now listen. You get yerself home. Get yerself calmed down and settled. Take the day, I'm sure your boss'll get it. We'll talk when we've got 'Level Vivi,' can I get a yes?

Again, she tilted her head.

"Good. Can you walk out to a car?"

A nod. Barely firmer.

"Well lucky for you, I saw yer boss with the keys and not the green gal, so no more wrecks t'night."

Vivi's lip twitched, but she couldn't find it in herself to laugh. Lance pulled her up and guided her toward the door. "Sign what you gotta sign, say what you need to say, and get yerself home. I got Arthur. We'll talk later. And remember the pills tonight girlie. You'll be needin' stability back to face whatever's gone down."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The depiction of an upswing is slightly more cartoony because it's been probably at least a month or longer for me, and I don't get them as often as I get downswings, and it's hard for me to remember what it feels like when a swing is not recent or not happening right now. But the downswing is not quite as cartoony.


	5. Maybe We Started This Fire

_"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Arthur shrugged his backpack on, waving at his Uncle. "Bye Uncle Lance, see you after school!"_

_His uncle waved from the kitchen. "Okay kid, try that thing I showed you. They won't know what hit 'em."_

_"I will! Hey, quit banging up the door!" Arthur grabbed the knob, pulling it open. "C'mon Lewis, gimme a minute to get out will ya? I didn't miss my alarm today, we got time."_

_Lewis glanced back over his shoulder, running a hand through his shaggy purple hair. "I gotta talk to you. I'm freakin' out, Arthur. I don't know what to do."_

_Arthur raised an eyebrow, stepping out and closing the door behind him. "Okay, well, start talking. We've got enough time to-" he stopped, checking himself against his watch, "yeah, more than enough time to walk to school today. What's going on?"_

_Lewis shuffled alongside him, tugging at his crisp white sleeves. "I like my family."_

_"Yeah, they're pretty awesome. What's it been, six months now?"_

_Lewis nodded, still plucking at his sleeves._

_"Gotta be the best being a chef's kid," Arthur teased, "you get all the pro-cooked food you could ever want. What's the problem?"_

_Lewis glanced over at him, and something in his expression froze Arthur's good humor._

_"I like them, but I'm a little scared. Weird stuff's going on in that house, Arthur. And I just got_ away _from weird stuff."_

_"What kind of weird stuff?" Arthur stuffed his hands in his pockets. "They seem pretty normal to me."_

_"Oh yeah? You've been to their restaurant, right?"_

_"Of course. I mean, they have chocolate covered bacon. Who else does that?"_

_"Okay, what's their restaurant missing then?"_

_"Nothing, as far as I know."_

_"Music, c'mon Artie. Every other place I've ever been to has some kind of radio station playing or a mix, or even a TV. Something to fill in the background silence, but they don't."_

_Arthur raised his other eyebrow. "Aaaaaand that's weird?"_

_"It's just part of it. We can't play any music in the house. We're not even allowed to sing. And it's weird 'cause Kay acts like it's totally normal. She doesn't know_ any _songs, and I mean she doesn't know_ The Itsy Bitsy Spider _I mean come on!"_

_Arthur bit his lip. "Okay, that's a little off, but so?"_

_"Mrs. Pepper wears long sleeves all the time, even in summer."_

_"Lewis, YOU wear long sleeves all the time, and it's like, eighty today."_

_"Yeah but you know why."_

_"Well maybe she's got scars too."_

_"So how come she goes to sleep all gagged?"_

_Arthur stopped in his tracks. "Lewis you can't be serious, you're spying on them?"_

_Lewis didn't look up, he just hooked his thumbs under his backpack straps, tugging the pack tighter. "Artie, I've seen really bad things, and I have to know this place is safe, or I gotta go. And it's not looking good. Yeah, I spied. Every night Mr. Pepper ties something around Mrs. Pepper's mouth, and she just stands there and lets him like it's okay. And then he ties her wrists too. And they're all smiles and happiness in the morning like nothing happened."_

_Arthur shifted, uneasy. "Okay, that sounds weird. Especially all together."_

_"I don't want this to be a bad place." Lewis kicked a rock viciously. "But I gotta know for sure."_

_Arthur sighed, scratching his head. "And you're still not gonna tell me the other stuff, right?"_

_"Nope. That goes to my grave," Lewis stated flatly._

_"Fine. So what are you gonna do about all this?"_

_Lewis finally lifted his head. "I was wondering if you could help me rig something up, maybe a few recorders? I need to know what they're hiding."_

_Arthur grinned. "You're in luck, we have a couple old ones lying around in the kitchen drawers. They don't hold a charge for more than a few hours though, but maybe I can use the stuff my Uncle's showing me to make it last longer."_

_"Yeah, what's he showing you?"_

_Arthur grinned, jerking his thumb back at his backpack. "Let's just say, by the time I'm through with our lockers, we'll be the only ones able to touch them. No more raids, no more broken locks, no more nasty writing. Just nice, secure lockers, and a string of, ah, 'shocked' faces."_

_Lewis grinned. "Tell me more."_

…..

Things were hazier since Mystery left. A few times, Arthur had tried to ask for less morphine, but every time his throat closed up, and terrible memories he'd never experienced flooded his mind. By the time Uncle Lance had awoken, he'd already begun a mental list of things he'd need to ease communication when he got out. At minimum, a text-to-speech app for his phone, and probably a class in sign language would be good. Having only one hand would make it hard, but surely he could modify it?

No, he couldn't modify a whole language just because he was missing an arm. He'd have to think of something else.

Lance was standing next to him, prodding him. He managed a small smile, patting his Uncle's arm to reassure him.

"You're awake!" Lance's relief broke through his usual gruffness. "Oh kid, you gave me a real scare. What in all hell happened t'ya?"

Arthur shook his head, holding a hand out and motioning with his fingers as if he was texting.

"You want your phone?" Lance asked, dumbfounded. "Now, at a time like this? Kid, just answer the question!"

Arthur shook his head, pointing at his mouth and making a zipping motion.

"I don't know what you're tryin' to pull, but it's not funny! What happened last night?"

_Last night a demon took control of my arm and made me push my best friend to his death._

He came to himself with a start. Lance's thick, stubby fingers were swatting his face. "Snap out of it!" How long had he been shouting that? Arthur forced his head to turn just enough toward Lance to get the fingers to stop hitting his face.

"What was that?" Lance exclaimed. "You froze up and stared at the wall for a solid five minutes, kid! I was just about to get the nurse!"

Arthur sighed, pointing to his mouth and shaking his head.

"Seriously? Crap like that happens when you try to talk now?" At Arthur's nod, Lance pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine… fine. They took yer stuff 'cause you went into surgery. I'll go get yer phone. Be back in a bit." He stalked toward the door, muttering to himself as he left.

Arthur sagged back against the pillows, staring up at the ceiling. That thing was probably still in the cave, just waiting for more idiots to come waltzing in like they owned the place. His fingers curled into the palm of his hand. It was probably back there laughing at them.

Once he was out, he was going to find that thing. And Mystery was going to help, he _owed_ Arthur that much.

No, Mystery had saved him. If anything, Arthur owed _him_. Still, maybe he could get the dog to throw his weight around a little more, since he obviously had power to spare. They could keep Vivi out of it that way, and she'd be safe-and absolutely livid once she found out he'd tried to pull something behind her back. No, he had to come clean with her and they could plan together. She would understand, she had to.

The police, though, he wasn't as sure about. There'd be an investigation, they'd ask questions. He needed to ask Uncle Lance, he'd be able to help him think of what to do. It wasn't his fault, Lance would understand.

It wasn't his fault, right?

How had that demon gotten in, though?

Anguished sobbing filtered into his room from somewhere down the hall. The voice sounded familiar. Young, bordering on hysterical.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I did it, it's my fault he's dead!"

He knew that voice, but the drugs were making it hard to connect.

"It IS my fault, Mommy said to never… and I did, I'm sorry! Make him come back, I'm sorry, I'll never do it again!"

"Arthur?"

His head whipped toward the door. Kay was there, holding onto the doorframe like it was the only thing supporting her. And why wouldn't she be standing like that? They'd probably just told her about her brother.

The Peppers were here. Dulcie. Dulcie was the one bawling down the hall. How could she think it was her fault?

How had the demon gotten in?

Kay was still standing there, and Arthur was just staring like an idiot. He reached his remaining hand out to her, opening his mouth- _his hand shot out, his palm flat against Lewis' chest, shoving him backwards with more force than he should have been able to generate. The look of horror on Lewis' face as gravity kicked in_.

Arms. There were arms wrapped around him, one cradling his head and the other wrapped around his torso. Hot, salty tears hit his face as Kay touched her forehead to his. He shut his eyes, leaning into the contact. There were so many questions and puzzle pieces floating around, and he didn't know what to do with them, but it was always easier to think when she held him.

She was next to him now, sitting in the hospital bed. She hadn't been just a moment ago, had he lost time again? He had to stop trying to talk. His right arm was pinned behind her, and he eased it free, wrapping it around her shoulders and winding his fingers in her thick blonde tangles.

"Lewis is gone," she whispered. "Why is he gone?"

Arthur's jaw clenched. _He's gone because of a demon,_ he wanted to scream _, because we went where we shouldn't have and I was angry and I-_

_I was angry._

How did the demon get in?

_"You don't know what you're getting into! I said no!" Lewis shouted, stabbing an index finger square in the middle of Arthur's chest. "If you wanna hang out, that's fine, but no more than that, you hear me?"_

It was happening again, that inhuman moaning sound he couldn't control, but he no longer cared. Kay was calling for Uncle Lance, and Arthur shut his eyes, wishing with all his might that he could disappear.

It wasn't the demon's fault. It never had been. Demons couldn't take you unless you left them a way in, even a sliver of an opening.

And Arthur had left the door wide open.

* * *


	6. All That I Adore

Vivi drifted in and out of connection with the endless monologue being delivered next to her ear. She couldn't focus on what was being said. About every third word made sense, and the high-pitched tone was grating on her last nerve.

"I can't believe it, I just know I'll be in shock all week. I mean, Lewis! He's too young, too fit, too good-looking to die like that! How bad was it? Did you see the body? Details, every last one! Madoka above, this is your true love, woman! What happened?"

If it hadn't been for Chloe's hands holding hers, Vivi might have strangled the younger girl. But there was always something about Chloe's touch that soothed things over. It was the strangest sensation to be ready to kill the person you most wanted a hug from, but that was the effect her co-worker had, and not just on Vivi. Nearly every visitor to Tome Tomb who was greeted by the cosplaying young woman ended up twitching back and forth between her and the door, not quite able to pull themselves away but about ready to chew off a leg to escape.

Vivi clutched Chloe's hands, focusing on any soothing she could draw from the contact while attempting to tune out her abrasive chatter.

"So do you think there's an opening now that you've lost your fourth member of the team?" Chloe asked hopefully.

"You can't pick up Mystery tomorrow?" Duet's voice broke through the steady stream. He glanced in the rearview mirror at the two, biting his lip.

"I need him." There was no room for question in Vivi's statement, and Duet fixed his eyes forward. Vivi closed her eyes, gripping Chloe's hands tighter. She'd have to thank him later. He wouldn't let Mystery in the shop, and always gave her dog a wide berth when passing him on his way in and out of the store. She had to be on the verge of a breakdown if he was letting Mystery in his car.

And if this thing about Lewis was true, this thing everybody kept telling her, that she knew the man-not only knew him, but _loved_ him, according to Chloe-then maybe she really was going crazy. But how could she have completely wiped out someone that important to her?

"We're here." Duet kept his hands on the steering wheel. "Chloe, go with her. Make sure she's okay. But don't stick around too long, you know what happens with you and strays."

Chloe scoffed. "Oh please, the animal-magnet thing is all in your head Duet. They just like green or something. C'mon Vivi, let's go get what's left of your family, yeah?"

Once again, Vivi fought the urge to rip her co-worker's hair out. She walked into the lobby of the county pound, once again clutching her own arms. It was hard to move her legs, and the counter was such a long ways from the door. But after this she could go home, she promised herself. Then she could just lie on the floor if she wanted, but she needed to get Mystery.

Someone was talking. She shook her head. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Are you here to claim a pet?" The lady peered at her over wire-rimmed aviator glasses.

What made her think she was competent to answer any kind of question right now? This was a mistake. She should just leave.

"Y-yeah. Would have been dropped off last night. White dog, black paws, red and black scruff."

The lady nodded, pushing a mountainous pile of forms at her and handing over a pen. "I'll need this information, and there's a processing fee."

She stared at the papers, the pen dangling from her fingers. She wasn't sure she could sign her name clearly much less fill out information.

"Can't you cut her some slack?" Chloe demanded. "Her fiancé just died!"

The pen dropped from Vivi's hand. "Fiancé?" Vivi choked.

"Well, maybe not her fiancé, but if anyone was gonna get hitched it was those two. He was the Fakir to her Ahiru, the Ichigo to her Rukia, the Levi to her Hanji!"

Vivi stared at Chloe in disbelief.

"Oh come on, you could see it a mile away! Don't burst the ship bubble." Chloe folded her arms. "Go on, sign the papers already. I'm sure the fee can be waived considering the circumstances. My friend needs her dog, like, now." Chloe's teeth flashed as she turned a brilliant smile on the receptionist. "He's a fully trained service dog, neat, huh? He'll probably be able to calm my friend down, keep things from getting awkward in the lobby. And maybe the paperwork can be mailed in later?"

The receptionist eyed Chloe, taking in her elaborate green outfit, then turned a critical stare on Vivi. "Pay the fee, and I'll waive the papers. Take it or leave it."

Chloe could be an absolute nuisance, but on the rare occasion she was also a Godsend.

Vivi fumbled with her purse, groping for her wallet. After two minutes of this, Chloe coughed, taking Vivi's purse and pulling out the wallet in a few seconds. "It's okay. C'mon, hold on a little longer." She handed Vivi's credit card to the lady, who swiped it and handed over the receipt. Vivi managed to pick up the pen again, signing a shaky scrawl.

"Wait over there, a handler will be out shortly with your dog."

Vivi nodded, continuing to stand where she was. Hands tugged at her shoulders, drawing her over to a plastic chair and sitting her down. Chloe's fingers wove through hers again, and she sighed. "Hey, it'll be okay. At least you had true love once, yeah? You'll find it again."

Vivi stared at her lap, wishing she could melt into a blue puddle and never move again. Had she really lost something so big? And if so, how?

And was this sudden swing her brain's way of telling her that she really was missing something?

"I have to talk to Squire." She stood, staring at the opposite wall, where a bright, cheery poster of a begging cat hung, just slightly crooked. "I have to talk to him now."

"Vivi, c'mon. Sit down, Mystery will be out in a min-"

"I'm going back. If I have to walk back I will." She strode toward the door. "Squire knows something. He'll be able to tell me. I'm not crazy."

Chloe's fingers plucked at her sleeve, but she swatted at them. "Back off! What, you think I can't get there? Or am I getting out of hand? 'Oh, Chloe, go in with Vivi, make sure she doesn't make a scene and look like an idiot or something.'"

Chloe's hands dropped to her sides, her glasses glinting under the heavy green hood. Vivi wondered for the umpteenth time what the girl's expression would be if she could see it.

A strained whine interrupted her exit. A furry weight pressed against her legs, then pawed at her ankle. She didn't look down. She was going to leave and see Squire, she was. Mystery wasn't going to stop her, and neither was Chloe. It was absolutely the right thing to do.

Paws pressed against her thigh, and she heard a short, firm bark. She finally glanced down. Mystery stood on his hindpaws, tail wagging, leaning on her leg with his forepaws. He laid his ears back, whining and nudging her hand.

Slowly she knelt to the concrete floor and gathered him up in her arms. He nestled his head in the crook of her neck, and she buried her face in his scruffy fur.

Her body ached. It was like something was crawling under her skin, but the weight in her arms had a slightly settling effect.

Of course she didn't have to see Squire right away. She needed to get home, like Lance had told her.

"Chloe," she whispered, "please help me get home."


	7. When I Hear Songs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Running out of applicable lyric fragments from Things We Lost In The Fire so this one is from Some Nights.

_Kay moaned, lying on top of her sheets. Aji sponged her forehead with a wet cloth, her little mouth pulled together in a worried pout. Her sister's features blurred together off and on, and sometimes all she could see was Aji's red curls. Everything burned, from the sheets to the pajamas she wore. Even her bones ached, and needles were poking her skin from inside. The only thing that didn't hurt was the dripping cloth._

_"What time issit?" she slurred, squinting at the clock on the wall. Mom had just left to help Dad with a kitchen emergency at the restaurant, but Lewis would be back from school soon, or so Mom said._

_"Four," Aji stated proudly. "Me too!"_

_Kay coughed, feeling the rattle in her lungs. "Happy Birthday," she mumbled. She hated this. She'd been sick all week, and hadn't even been able to celebrate her sister's birthday two days back. Or was it three days back? Everything was melting together in the heat._

_The house shuddered, and Aji's head whipped around, her face lighting up. "Lewis back!" She dropped the wet cloth on Kay's face, darting out of their room. "Lewis came back!" she cheered, then squealed loudly. If it didn't hurt too much, Kay would have smiled. Lewis always gave Aji a spin or two when he came home, something her sister spent all day looking forward to._

_He was asking something, but too soft for her to hear. Footsteps echoed in the hall, and Aji dragged him into the room._

_Purple flooded her vision, and she grimaced, shutting her eyes. "Whyyyyy the hair."_

_"Yeah yeah, you hate the shade, same song second verse." The cloth began to move again, dabbing her forehead. "Hey Aji, can you get me another one? This one's getting warm."_

_"Okay!" Aji scampered out. Kay snorted. Aji would be gone for awhile, trying to drag the stepladder to get up to the linen closet._

_"How's the fever?"_

_Kay opened her eyes, her vision almost completely blocked by Lewis' hands. "Why are your hands so big?" she muttered._

_Lewis snorted. "Well you're a little better today I guess."_

_Scratching at the prickles under her skin, Kay coughed again. "What happened today at school?"_

_"Well, Doc Dexter almost flooded the classroom trying to show us why Mentos react with Coke in Science. He almost had it under control too, but, ah… someone slipped in a couple extra mentos when he wasn't looking."_

_Kay grunted. "A 'couple' extra?"_

_Lewis smirked. "Well, a couple extra packs. Don't look at me like that, it was Arthur's idea anyway. And it was totally worth it."_

_Kay let her eyes drift shut as Lewis went on to describe the rest of his day. It didn't make sense why Lewis got to go to regular school and she and Aji had to stay home to learn. Lewis got to go out and make friends and have all kinds of fun adventures she never got to have. What was so special about him?_

_But at least he told her stories about his day. A glimpse of the outside was better than nothing, and Lewis was the only window she had. He wasn't too bad either. His voice was quiet, and he played with Aji like she was his sister. Some of his habits got annoying, but at least her parents had finally talked him out of locking every door he went through._

_He wouldn't talk about his scars, or the night he showed up at their house. Within three days, he'd dyed his hair purple with Mom's help, and he never explained that to her either. He was full of secrets, but she didn't mind as much as she used to._

_"I have to go, Kay."_

_Something in his tone jerked her into focus. "Hmm?"_

_"Mrs. Pepper left a note on the counter, she'll be back at 4:30. I gotta go before she gets back."_

_"Where?" Kay squinted at him._

_"I dunno. But I can't stay here. There's just…" he ran a hand through his hair. "There's just some weird stuff going on, and I don't think I can stay here."_

_"What weird stuff?" Kay tried to push herself up, but pain spiked through her forearms and she sank back, moaning._

_"Hey, easy, I didn't mean you." He wiped her forehead carefully. "I just… I need to keep moving, that's all. I'm sorry. I like you guys, I just… I have to be sure I'm safe."_

_"And you're not?" she demanded weakly. "Mom and Dad can't keep you safe?"_

_He bit his lip, averting his eyes._

_"You think they're gonna hurt you?" Kay stared at him._

_Lewis cleared his throat. "I'm not going into why, Kay. I'm sorry. But I wanna give you something before I go." He reached into his backpack and pulled out a small gray device. "I know there's a no music rule around here, but it really doesn't make any sense. I'm not even sure you know what music is."_

_Kay tensed. What was Lewis doing?_

_"I'm sure your parents are… nice people. But you need music. Everyone needs music." He clicked a button on the device. "It takes people away from bad things. Hide this if you have to, but keep it. And find more."_

_At first, Kay wasn't sure what she was hearing. It was like a voice, but not a voice. Was the gray thing making that sound? It was low and sweet, and it curled around all the aches in her body, soothing them into stillness. It wound itself in through her ear and spread to every corner of her mind, and for a split second she saw a frightening depth of need in herself that she had never known, even as it began to fill with this glorious sound._

_"It's Pachelbel, Canon in D. We learned about it this week. I wanna learn how to play it when I can get back into school, wherever I end up." Lewis smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "You should see your face right now, Kay."_

_The sound was filling her up and up. Any second she was going to overflow with it, it would come spilling out of her eyes, her fingertips, her mouth-something this fulfilling had to go somewhere! It was crawling up her throat, pressing against her vocal cords. Her throat began to vibrate in response. Her mouth opened, the sound passing back up and out of her mouth._

_Lewis' eyes widened. "Kay," he breathed, "I didn't know you could sing. Kay-" He lapsed into silence, his eyes glazing slightly, his head sagging. She wanted to ask him questions. What did he mean, singing? Mom said not to sing, but never told her or showed her what it was. Was it what she was doing now? Was she going to get in trouble? But she couldn't stop. The sound was pouring out, louder and stronger now, and the pain was back. The needles in her skin were poking out, and her bones screamed, but still it continued._

_Lewis slumped over onto the bed, his breathing shallow. Kay raise her hands to cover her mouth and froze. Feathers were pushing through her skin, tiny feathers sprouting longer and longer, building on each other as they began extending out farther. Sharp talons were poking through her fingertips. She was becoming a monster, and still she couldn't stop the sound coming out of her mouth._

_And Lewis wasn't breathing._

_The house shuddered again, and a few seconds later her door flew open. It was Mom. Kay reached out her arms, shaking._

Why am I a monster?

What's happening to me?

Why can't I stop doing this?

Why isn't Lewis breathing?

But she couldn't speak.

_Mom dove for the device, still in Lewis' hand, and smashed it against the ground. The sound from the device stopped, and the feeling began to drain away. Kay doubled over, gasping as a void swept through her at the absence of the sound, robbing her of speech and the sound she had been making a moment ago._

_And then Mom opened her mouth and began to make the sound too. She picked up Lewis, holding him carefully, and made the sound right in his ear. It was a different kind of the same sound. There was more life in it, more joy and playfulness, and as she made it, Lewis began to breathe again._

_As soon as he began to breathe, Mom stopped, exhaling slowly and resting her chin on Lewis' head. "I'm sorry, Kay. I thought the fever was just…" She shook her head. "I know this is scary right now, but it's alright. Look, he's still alive, no harm done. As soon as your father is back, I'll explain."_

…...

Arthur was there, somewhere in the hospital, and Kay had to see him. This was all she could be sure of as she returned to the lobby with her parents. Her family would start grieving, and she wasn't ready to be with them. She caught sight of Lance passing down the hall and made a beeline for him.

"Lance," she gulped, trying to hold herself together, "Arthur. How is he?"

Lance tugged at strands of his beard. "In a rough way. I'm tryin' to find his phone 'cause he won't talk. It's like he can't. Lost his arm last night, can't even tell me about it." He dropped his hands to his sides. "M'sorry 'bout your brother. Lewis was a good kid. Good friend to Artie."

The words flew past Kay. She wasn't ready to hold onto them. "Can I see him?"

Lance raised an eyebrow, thinking. "Well, kid is calmer around you. Might do him good." He jerked his head back the way he'd come. "Room 133. If they give you crap, tell 'em family said you could be there."

"Thank you." She all but sprinted down the hall, chased by Dulcie's high-pitched wail.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I did it, it's my fault he's dead!"

Kay whimpered, pressing her hands to her ears as she hurried down the hall, searching for the room number.

"It IS my fault, Mommy said to never… and I did, I'm sorry! Make him come back, I'm sorry, I'll never do it again!"

Room 133. There it was. And there was Arthur, surrounded by monitors and wrapped in far, far too much white.

"Arthur?"

He twitched, turning to stare at her. His face was all wrong. She'd never seen him unhappy for more than a few minutes, and certainly never like this. There were rings around his eyes, and a hollowness in his gaze that frightened her. He continued staring at her for a full minute before his eyes finally focused. Slowly, he extended his hand and opened his mouth.

And then he froze, his eyes glazing over. The monitors nearby spiked as his heart rate began to climb.

_Oh gods, Arthur, what happened?_

She crossed the room and slid up onto the bed next to him. Wrapping one arm around his torso, she pulled his head around and touched her forehead to his.

The heart rate monitor steadied, and his remaining arm curled around her shoulders.

Dulcie was still sobbing down the hall, and Kay's own tears were falling again. "Lewis is gone," she whispered, "Why is he gone?"

Arthur's body tensed, and he opened his mouth again. As he did, his whole body stiffened, and he began to moan. His torso twisted and he began to thrash, the monitors blaring alarming sounds.

Kay pressed her cheek against Arthur's ear, shutting her eyes and focusing her thoughts.

_Calm. Peace. Rest. Soothing._

She held in her mind images of Lewis, teaching her to read sheet music. Mom soothing away her first few fevers. The feeling of a brisk wind through her feathers. Arthur running his fingers through her hair.

And from deep inside, she brought up a shell of a song. A soft hum barely loud enough to be heard. But Arthur could hear it. The hum stirred her need, and she fought to keep her voice down as the ache to sing grew, but she kept it steady, slow, and quiet.

And Arthur's breathing slowed, and his head dropped to her shoulder, his muscles relaxing as he slipped into a peaceful sleep. She stopped humming, checking to make sure he was still breathing.

He was. It was only sleep, nothing more. Mom would be proud of her, if not for…

She lay back with him, resting her forehead against his.

_Why is Lewis gone?_

 


	8. What You Thought Of Me

"You're crazy. A hundred percent certifiable. Arthur I'd kill for a chance like you've got. Full ride? What's your problem?"

Arthur winced at Lewis' tone, shrugging as he wiped his hands on a greasy rag. "I'm just not ready."

"Not ready my foot! You've got more brains than our entire graduating class combined when it comes to engineering. Universities are literally breathing down your neck, and you're 'not ready'?"

"Save your breath, Lew. Vivi's already been by, and my uncle rides me about this every day. I know you all mean well, but I'm not sure it's what I want right now."

"And this is what you want?" Lewis gestured at the junker in front of him.

"Hey! It's good work!" Arthur snapped. "Don't knock it!"

"I'm not knocking it, Artie, you know I think the world of Lance. But you can get that thing running like new in under three days. Where's the challenge in that, huh?"

Arthur didn't respond, still wiping his hands on the rag absently.

"I'm not going to lie. Lance asked me to knock some sense into you. But you can't say this is what you want to do for the rest of your life. With your brains, you could make a real difference in people's' lives, no matter what tech field you go into."

Arthur pulled up an empty drum and hopped up on it, sighing. "University, Lew. I can't picture myself there. I don't wanna be so sunk in classes that I can't do anything else, can't see my friends, can't have a life."

"So don't go full-time, you rusty can of sardines!" blurted a large crate from the corner of the room.

Arthur groaned. "What is this, an intervention? Get out here!"

Vivi picked her way out from behind the crate, pointedly ignoring Lewis smirk.

"Subtle, Vee," Lewis teased.

"Shut up you big cheezit crumb. I'm not wrong though, and neither is he. Look, if you want to get us and Lance off your back, just one class." She held up a flyer. "Take your pick, you'd blow any of them outta the water and you know it. And maybe, just maybe, you'd even learn a thing or two."

Arthur grabbed the paper, crumpling it up and shoving it in his pocket. "Guys, I appreciate your good intentions, but I don't like being rushed and pushed."

Lewis raised his hands. "Okay, okay. Just think about it. Maybe talk it over with mystery girl and let us know."

"Mystery girl?" Vivi perked up. "Squire's got a date?"

Arthur blushed, clearing his throat. "No, um. She doesn't. Know. Yet. I'm, working on. Asking her."

"Yeah, and he won't tell me anything. Not even a hint." Lewis rolled his eyes. "Sheesh, know a guy for over a decade and he still won't spill who he's into."

"I just want to make sure it'll work out." Arthur scrubbed his hands furiously with the rag. "I'll be really embarrassed if I say something and it goes nowhere, okay? Just… lemme work this out myself. Both things. Look, I have to get back to work on this wreck. Meet you guys at six for the Johnston house exorcism, ok?"

Vivi flashed two thumbs up. "See you then."

…...

Warm. Soft. Safe. Arthur didn't want to wake. He couldn't stop himself from slowly drifting back through layers of sleep into consciousness, but he could keep his eyes shut. There were arms around him, and a head pressed against his shoulder. The scent of sea foam filled his nostrils. Kay's smell. He never could peg why she smelled like the sea half the time, and she would always make him guess. The best he could do was make her laugh with the most elaborate stories he could come up with, but she never told him if he was right or wrong.

He'd fallen asleep. When had he last slept? They'd put him under for the surgery, but he'd lost track of how long ago that was. Kay must have triggered his mind being able to accept he was safe enough to sleep, he reasoned. He'd have to thank her later… if he could figure out how to communicate.

"You quit snorin' so I'mma take it you're 'wake even if you don't wanna be."

Arthur cracked an eye open. Uncle Lance had pulled the chair up next to the bed, a cell phone in either hand.

"I get you're under a lotta stress right now, kid, and I'm glad Kay could help, but I gotta know what happened. It's killin' me over here. They're talkin' about takin' you and Vivi in for questioning at the police station."

Arthur swallowed. He glanced down at Kay, fast asleep on his shoulder. He stretched out his right hand, careful not to move the arm too much and wake her. Lance placed the phone in his hand, and Arthur carefully navigated to text with his thumb. He hesitated over the keyboard. How much could he tell Lance?

Everything. Lance would know how to fix it, or at least what he should do. Lance would believe him.

Got possessed /send

Lance glanced at his own phone and sucked a breath in through his teeth. Arthur winced, bracing for a rant about taking dangerous cases.

"Keep going."

Arthur hesitated again. Lance would believe him, wouldn't he? His uncle knew he would never hurt anyone, especially Lewis. And yet, he found each consecutive letter more difficult to press.

It got my arm. Pushed Lewis /send

The ensuing silence frightened Arthur more than any blue streak Lance could have sworn.

I didn't want to /send

Uncle Lance /send

Say something /send

His uncle's eyes were glued to the phone in his hands, and Arthur could just make out Lance scrolling back to the only line that really mattered, staring at it.

You've seen the stuff we do. Please. It was real /send

You have to believe me /send

I didn't want-Lance's hand covered his own, gripping his hand and the phone together tightly.

"I believe you, Kid," Lance rasped. "It's a lot to take in. Gimme a sec."

Arthur clung to Lance's hand like a child. If Lance believed him, maybe other people would too.

After a few moments, Lance removed his hand. "Okay. Then what?"

Arthur erased the gibberish button mashing before continuing.

Someone looking out for me. Tore possessed arm off /send

"Vivi?"

No. Vivi at ground level. Didn't see. Doesn't know /send

"That's not all she doesn't know. She doesn't remember anything from then. And kid, she's in a bad way."

Arthur leaned forward slightly, gesturing with his free hand to continue.

"Full swing, looked like. Was babbling somm'at about not knowin' Lewis, talking like she was scared of goin' nuts. Haven't seen her that bad in years."

Arthur's eyes widened. Not since high school! /send

"Yeah, I know it's been awhile. Girlie seemed better, but if somethin' happened to you in there, somethin' happened to her too. Mebbe somethin' different though." Lance scratched his beard, rolling a section between his fingers.

Dismayed, Arthur let his hand fall to the bed. If Vivi couldn't remember, he couldn't talk to her about it. And if she was as bad as Lance mentioned… well only Lewis was any good at getting her out of one of those, and even he was taking his chances whenever he tried.

Better not to think about Lewis very hard right now. He lifted the phone again, but Lance jumped in with the next question.

"So you can't talk why?"

Demon left memories behind. I try to talk, I remember horrible things. He hesitated. Hard to explain. But can't talk /send

"Okay, who tore your arm off?"

Can't say /send

Lance tugged strands loose, growling in exasperation. "Kid, I can't help you if you don't tell me all the details."

That's what I got. What do I do? /send

"Whaddaya mean?"

Do I tell police? Vivi? Peppers? /send

Will anyone believe me? /send

Lance ran his fingers through his hair. "You tell me. Your faces are in the papers just about every week, you get paid for every job you do, the group's respected all over the city. They gonna believe you if you 'fess up to the cops?"

I don't know /send

Anyone can claim possession to cover murder /send

"What do you think you should do? Screw the consequences for a sec, what do you think you need to do?"

Arthur glanced down at Kay, his shoulders hunching.

"Artie?"

Peppers need to know. And Vivi. And they get to decide if I talk or if I forgot /send

"Okay. Now for the consequences. If you talk, and they say you have to spill, you know you could face…" Lance trailed off.

Arthur didn't look up, but nodded his head once, staring blankly down at the phone screen.

"There's not a lot I can do, but if it comes down to it, I'll get you the best defense I can."

Cross that bridge later /send

"Fair 'nuff."

He exhaled slowly. He was going to lose Kay no matter what, that much was obvious. Even if they acknowledged it wasn't his fault, none of them would be able to look at him again. He turned his head, burying his face in Kay's curls, breathing in her salty ocean scent.

He had to track down that demon. But he needed full functionality first.

Uncle Lance I need my laptop /send

And call this number I'm sending. Tell them to come. Tell them bring the arm. They'll know /send

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pre-existing arm headcanon attributed to Tumblr user Dontfeeddaelves.


	9. Stay With Me

_She couldn't feel anything anymore, and that was just fine. It was kind of like death, she thought, and that had been a common enough wish lately for her to appreciate this compromise. During her first two days in the room, she'd come to appreciate the exactness of the ceiling squares. There were precisely 836 squares in the room she shared with the lady who always mumbled. If she started with the first square and traced the edges of it with her eyes, and did this with every square, she could almost get to 400 before they came with the meals and undid the wrist-straps for a few minutes._

_By the end of the second day, she didn't need the straps. Nothing hurt anymore, but they still didn't release her from the institute._

_Which was fine, it didn't matter. Lewis probably wouldn't speak to her ever again, and with him would go Squire and the whole Orphan Detention Club. But if this was the strength of her prescription, she could deal with it._

_It was day four and she was still counting squares. The lady who always mumbled had been discharged, and all was peaceful in her room. There was no reason to leave. She was being discharged herself in a couple of days, so she'd been told. Perhaps she should enjoy the sanctuary while it lasted, if 'enjoy' was a thing she could do anymore._

_The nurse was there. She was nice enough, but she didn't have a meal with her._

_An appointment with a psychiatrist? Perhaps it was time. She'd only seen one at the beginning, when her house manager Ms. Hilde, checked her in. After the "incident." He had been a middle-aged man wielding a fountain pen, who asked her a few questions and nodded and smiled. Then he scribbled her future on a slip of paper, to be dispensed in a tube and taken once a day with water._

_The nurse guided her to a room and left, assuring her the doctor would be in soon. She sat in a plush chair, her hands limp in her lap, staring at the beige-and-maroon checkered carpet. A pair of sharp black shoes disturbed the squares, polished so brightly she could just make out her hair in the reflective shine._

_"Miss Vivi Kimura, I believe?" A hand crossed her vision, open-palmed in invitation. She dropped her own into it, limp, and it was shaken firmly. "I am Dr. M. I've been assigned to your case quite recently. I'm here to make sure your transition back is smooth."_

_He was still holding her hand. She could see his knees now, and assumed he had pulled up a chair. White pants, pristine and perfectly pleated._

_"Fascinating profile, if I may say. We've had to gather most of the details from your house manager, but I'd like to hear more from you."_

_"Vivi Kimura," she stated. "Nineteen. House fruitcake."_

_"Thank you for your name, rank, and serial number. This isn't a prison camp, Ms. Kimura. I gather from your 'serial number' you don't get on well with the others in your group home."_

_She shrugged apathetically, a sliver of irritation working its way past the flatline. "Not my fault they don't know how to handle a swing."_

_"And neither do you, apparently. Seventeen, but still a Freshman with two suspensions and several expulsion threats. Held back twice."_

_Her eyes narrowed, and she focused harder on the carpet. She was almost out, no need to give them any reason to keep her longer, even if he was starting to get on her nerves._

_"Still no takers on the adoption front?"_

_"Too old." she answered. "Too unstable. Too difficult. Too crazy." She shrugged. "Doesn't matter. Almost legal."_

_"Tell me something, there isn't anything of note in your file about interests or hobbies, the house manager says you keep that to yourself, but that you take care of a stray."_

_In spite of herself, her lips pursed. Mystery would wonder where she was, why she'd been gone so long. She hadn't missed a day of feeding him since she found him half-dead in the gutter six years ago._

_"Yeah. What of it?"_

_"Tell me a bit about that, would you?" He was still holding her hand. "We want to evaluate whether you're a good fit for a special program, and this is an important factor."_

_Her mouth twitched sideways. Taking care of a stray was a factor in her treatment? Odd, but he was the licensed professional. "He was in a pretty bad way when I found him. Ms. Hilde doesn't allow pets, but he wasn't going to last. No money for a vet either, so I hid him under my bed and did what I could. Googled all the info I could get my hands on, asked anyone who would still talk to me for info, mostly I just kept him warm and fed and hidden. He did most of the recovery himself."_

_"Go on."_

_"When he was well, I couldn't keep him in the house, so I turned him out. But he kept showing up, so I snuck him whatever I could scrounge from the fridge without getting caught. I think Ms. Hilde knows, but as long as he's not in the house, she doesn't care." Her vision blurred, and she swiped her free hand across her eyes. "He listens to everything I say, no matter how weird or insane it sounds, and he doesn't judge me. He just licks my face and sits in my lap, and I really need that. Some days I even feel better afterward."_

_"It sounds to me like you need a service dog."_

_Vivi finally lifted her head. Dr. M watched her warmly through yellow tinted spectacles. He had, she noted, very odd hair for a professional. A spiked brown swath down the middle, lined on either side by sections of brick red hair. He smiled widely, and she could almost swear his teeth were slightly more pointed than they should have been._

_"Actually, we recently located one of our dogs that had dropped off the radar for awhile. Looks like he's been through a lot, so he might be a little skittish until he settles in, but between you and me, you're a perfect fit."_

_"You can tell I'm a fit just from a couple minutes?" she sniffed, wiping the last of the moisture from her eyes and running her nose across her sleeve._

_"Absolutely. That's why I get the title." He winked, finally releasing her hand. "I'll fill out the paperwork. Ms. Hilde can't object to a properly trained and certified service animal, and neither can any place of business or leisure, by the way. I think, given this circumstance, we can bump your release up to tomorrow. You seem perfectly fine to me, and I think you'll find a service dog can be quite soothing. Perhaps even, one might say, stabilizing."_

_She hesitated. "So, you're not giving me a prescription?"_

_"My dear," he chuckled as he pulled her to her feet, "the only prescription you need is a warm fur hug and face-licking three times a day. The nurse is at the door. You will be introduced to your new dog on the way out tomorrow. Unfortunately I'll be too busy by then to pass him off to you, so expect him to be waiting by himself in the lobby. He understands 'stay' very well."_

_As Vivi reached the door, Dr. M. cleared his throat. "One last thing. Do take care of this one. He's had a rough go of it. Needs some care himself."_

_Vivi's mouth quirked slightly. "Well, maybe we can help each other." She passed out of the office, allowing the nurse to guide her back. Funny, breathing came easier now, and she was almost eager to meet this new dog. She hoped Mystery wouldn't be too jealous when she got back._

….

Vivi stumbled into her apartment, fumbling with the keys and trying to lock her door. Mystery nudged her leg, and she realized she was trying to lock the inside of her apartment with the external keys. The whole ring clattered to the ground as she pressed her hands flat against the door.

"Okay, the bed. Get to the bed." She spoke the words aloud, ordering herself to do what she could no longer carry out by silent will. Her legs didn't move. "Okay, let go of the door." Her hands dropped to her sides. "Now turn around." She turned one foot, then the other, then pivoted herself around. "Okay. Doing good, now-" She dropped to her knees, arms wrapped around herself.

There was a giant purple jacket draped over her chair, at least five sizes too large for her. A violin case rested against the wall next to her guitar. There were at least five framed photos of her and a broad-shouldered young man with purple hair, and the edges of her vision were turning white. Nausea rolled through her, and she collapsed onto her side, clutching her stomach and moaning.

Paws scrabbled on the tile floor, nails clicking frantically across the room. She didn't dare lift her head, for fear of what she would see.

It was true. It had to be. His things were here. She'd never even seen the man before, and she didn't remember those photos or that jacket. She'd never even touched a violin. These had to be Lewis Pepper's things, and if Lewis Pepper's belongings were here…

She tucked her knees in tighter. She had lost an entire person, potentially the most important person in her life, and she didn't even know how. She was part of the most well-known paranormal investigative team in the city, which as far as she knew only included herself, Mystery, and Squire. If it also involved this Lewis, and she couldn't remember him, it was only a matter of time before they realized she'd cracked and she was sent back to the institute.

"That won't happen!" she grated out. "I'm not playing chicken with a train, I just can't remember him!"

_Fruitcake Vivi, nuttier than a walnut tree. Don't like her mood? Wait five minutes._

She wanted to crawl out of her skin and leave it lying there, it was too heavy.

_Careful now, don't want to push her buttons or she might go psycho on you. Sometimes she forgets her meds._

Something was pushing her arms aside. Mystery wriggled past her curled-up knees and nestled in her arms. She couldn't even lift her arms to hold him. Everything hurt too much. "Glass, broken glass, all gone and shattered," she mumbled, disconnected from the meaning of the words she spoke.

Mystery squirmed until he was able to rest his muzzle in the crook of Vivi's neck. She sucked in a breath as her body responded to contact there, the pain easing by degrees. Mystery never put his face there, he usually just curled up in her lap or pressed against her legs as she stood. Nobody touched her neck.

Why did she respond like that?

Minutes and hours passed at the same rate and she couldn't tell one measurement from the other, but eventually she was able to raise herself up on her arms.

The photos all lay flat on their faces. The jacket and the violin case were missing, though she saw a suspicious bit of purple poking out from behind the TV. She lay back down on the floor, wrapping her arms around Mystery.

"Always looking out for me. Thanks, buddy."

Mystery struggled free of her grasp and bounded to his paws, growling softly. He nipped at her sleeve, tugging backwards.

"I don't want to. Just let me be here. I'll be fine, just… some sleep."

Mystery continued tugging, laying his ears back.

Vivi shut her eyes. "I can't move that far."

Leaping over her prone form, Mystery butted his head into the small of her back, shoving her across the floor, slow and steady.

"Will you compromise if I can make it to the carpet?" she moaned. She lifted herself, and every bone felt like it weighed ten pounds. She made it up on her knees and dragged herself from the living room to the carpeted hall that led to the bedroom. But when she stopped at the carpet, Mystery gave a sharp bark.

"No!" she shouted. "Why? What does it matter if I fall asleep on the floor or not? You do it all the time, so suddenly I can't? I'm losing my mind and you're worried about where I pass out! What's the matter with you? Why can't you just leave me alone, you stupid dog!"

She clapped one hand over her mouth, her eyes wide. "I… I didn't mean…" And then Mystery was under her arm, nuzzling her, but still pushing, like she hadn't said anything. It had been years since she'd lashed out like that.

She leaned against the wall, using it to leverage herself back to her feet. Weaving forward, she finally made it to the bedroom, toppling onto the bed. The mattress shifted, and a warm weight draped across her back.

"What's happening to me, Mystery?" she whispered, closing her eyes. "And what happened to him? And what's _going_ to happen now?"

The only answer she got was a soft whine by her ear. She pulled her pillow over and buried her face in it. Maybe the world would explode before she woke up, and she wouldn't have to think about any of this ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have never been admitted to a mental institution. I have been once to visit a friend, but she was not in this state, so take any images here with a grain of salt. Portrayal of the psychiatrist here is not particularly positive, but that is not always the case. My prescribing psychiatrist and therapist have been extremely kind and helpful and have taught me much over the years. This portrayal is fictional, and not meant to be taken as commentary.


	10. The Sound of Silence

_Timothy Pepper sat on the edge of the recliner, crossing and recrossing his legs, watching the boy laid out on the couch. He wished Mrs. Pepper hadn't insisted on leaving, she was so much better at talking this sort of thing out. And they still knew so very little about Lewis. Could the boy be trusted?_

_That was a choice no longer in their hands. He could only hope he could persuade Lewis to keep their secret._

_Lewis finally stirred, groaning and putting a hand to his forehead. "Unnnngh... aspirin…" He staggered to his feet, swaying._

_Mr. Pepper stood, catching him by the elbow. "Kitchen. Water and aspirin, come on."_

_Lewis jerked his arm away, taking several steps away, his eyes darting toward the door._

_He was going to leave, right then and there. He was going to run out the door and never return. Mr. Pepper spread his arms slowly, palms open, and then held very still. "Lewis, I'm not going to hurt you. And I'm not going to stop you from leaving. It's just me and Aji right now, and Aji's asleep. Teles-Mrs. Pepper-took Kay out, they won't be back for… some time. I won't stop you, I'll even pack you some food to go. All I'm asking is that you hear me out."_

_Lewis' eyes drifted between Mr. Pepper and the door, his eyelid twitching. Finally, he put a hand to the back of his neck, grimacing. "Fine, I'll listen, but you keep your distance."_

_Gesturing to the kitchen, Mr. Pepper headed for the fridge, filling a glass of water and setting it on the counter. He grabbed the aspirin from the kitchen drawer, putting it next to the glass, and stepped away._

_Lewis lunged for the aspirin, downing three with a gulp of water. He kept his eyes on Mr. Pepper the whole time. "Alright, so talk. What do you want to say?"_

_"Well, it depends on what you remember." Mr. Pepper fidgeted. "What do you remember?"_

_"What I remember depends on what you got to say," Lewis countered._

_Mr. Pepper sighed. The kid wasn't making it easy for him. "Look, you've been here, what… eight months? I'm sure you've noticed a few odd things-" Lewis snorted, but Mr. Pepper continued. "We were going to explain, maybe after a year. You have to understand, Lewis, we had to know we could trust you. Unfortunately things happened and, well… here we are."_

_"Explain what?" Lewis' eyes narrowed._

_Mr. Pepper braced his hands on the countertop and hopped up onto it, crossing one leg over the other. "Well, you see, between you and me, we're the only two fully human people in this house."_

_Lewis blinked slowly._

_"Of course, we don't know that much about you, so it could be just me." Mr. Pepper smiled a little too widely. "Not that there's anything wrong with not being human, ah, it's just…" He sighed, dropping the smile. "It just tends to not be safe for the people who aren't fully human."_

_"What are they?" Lewis asked, coiled tight as a spring._

_"I married a siren," Mr. Pepper stated matter-of-factly. "I was working the galley on a cargo-liner when the ship ran aground. I was the only survivor, and on the island we ran into, I found her. Together, we assembled enough supplies from the ship to escape on a lifeboat, and made our way to the mainland."_

_"Why would she go with you?"_

_Mr. Pepper looked down at his knees, his knuckles flashing white on the edge of the counter. "She was in a bad way. There's not much more to say about it than that. But she took a liking to me and, well, it's hard to not fall head over heels for a siren." His smile returned, a little warmer. "We married, settled down, started to have kids."_

_"Never told your kids what might happen to them?" Lewis snapped. "Or what might happen to visitors? Just 'don't sing' and 'no music' and hope for the best?"_

_Mr. Pepper didn't look up. "Lewis, I'm sorry. It's not like there's a baby book for raising siren daughters. I'm human, and for all we knew, they wouldn't develop any traits at all. And if they didn't, why would we even have to tell them? Even Teles was only one of three, and they were all born that way. There was no stage of development with them like there obviously is with Kay." He sighed, uncrossing his leg and crossing the other one. "Teles thinks the fever is probably a marker of the change, and Kay is eight now, so now we have something to look out for with Aji, and a time frame."_

_"I almost died!" Lewis' fingers curled into his palms. "I thought you were safe, I thought I had a chance here!"_

_"You aren't the only person who's almost died under this roof," Mr. Pepper returned sharply. He checked himself, taking a slow breath. "You left one of our video recorders in our room. I found it this afternoon."_

_Lewis' eyes darted back to the door, and Mr. Pepper blurted, "She does it for my safety, Lewis. I told you I found her in a bad way." Lewis turned warily back to him. "What happened is hers to tell, not mine, but she still has night terrors. She can't control her singing when she's half awake, she doesn't know she's safe and she's trying to defend herself. So she lets me gag her. Sometimes, if it's really bad, her claws come out." Mr. Pepper unbuttoned his shirt, pulling the material aside. Pale scars ran across his chest in parallel lines. "So she lets me tie her wrists."_

_Lewis' shoulders lowered slightly._

_Mr. Pepper eased down from the counter. "We can't have music here for our safety, Lewis. It is a siren's nature to sing, but any serious exposure to that song is deadly to humans. Some forms of the song can be heard in limited measures, but it requires great restraint from the siren, and still it exerts a powerful influence on the human who hears it. Playing music around them is like taunting a starving man with a warm loaf of bread."_

_Lewis inspected his feet, fingertips still embedded in his palms._

_"If you want to leave, I won't stop you, and Teles would never chase you. She wanted to be here to explain, but said she had to take Kay and train her right away." He hesitated. "For my safety and yours. She said she hopes you'll be here when they come back."_

_"When are they coming back?" Lewis asked, still glancing at the door._

_"I have no idea." Mr. Pepper looked at the door as well, morose. "It could be days, it could be weeks. Maybe months. This hasn't ever happened before, not as far as she knows, and she's never had to 'train' a siren before. This is all very new to us."_

_Lewis finally leaned against the fridge, crossing his arms. "So where do I fit in?"_

_"It depends on where you want to fit in." Mr. Pepper watched him carefully. "I can speak for Teles and myself, we'd love to have you stay. We still don't know what sort of trouble you were in, but you've been good with the girls and you seem happier. Teles has very strong feelings about making sure you are kept warm and fed, so she definitely cares. Besides," he hedged cautiously, "with Teles gone, I'll have double duty at the kitchen, and also as a dad. If you could find your way around to staying, I could really use your help at the restaurant after school, and maybe with Aji too? We don't have a lot extra to pay you with right now, but we can afford to pay you some. And if you decide to leave later, then you'll have some funds."_

_Lewis rocked on his heels a bit. "What's the catch?"_

_"All we're asking is that you keep this to yourself." Mr. Pepper rubbed the back of his neck. "There's no telling what would happen if word got out. I'm sure you understand wanting to keep a secret."_

_Lewis ducked his head further, chewing on his lip. Mr. Pepper held his breath._

_"Would you teach me to make that chocolate deviled egg thing?"_

_Mr. Pepper grinned. "Come by the Pepper Paradiso after school tomorrow. The secret ingredient is gonna shock your socks off."_

…...

Timothy Pepper sat at the edge of his recliner, staring silently at the door. Kay had texted that she'd be dropped off by Lance Kingsmen soon, and that had been twenty minutes ago. It shouldn't be too long.

Sure enough, the door swung open a couple minutes later. Kay trudged in, head hung low, running her hand along the counter on her way through the kitchen. Mr. Pepper rose and met her at the edge of the living room. She stood there, eyes fixed on the ground, mouth opening and closing. Mr. Pepper folded his arms around her, and she rested her forehead against his chest. Her body was like stone in his arms.

"Your mother already took your sisters to the sea," he whispered. "I'll drive you."

"Don't forget the headphones," she mumbled, as she did every time.

He swallowed down the lump in his throat and slipped her the keys. "Meet you in the car."

He returned to his room, fumbling with the top dresser drawer. Somewhere under the socks, underwear, and uniform neckerchiefs, lay a top-of-the-line noise-cancelling headphone set. Hanging them around his neck, he followed Kay out, locked the door, and climbed into the car.

The ride to the sea was silent. Mr. Pepper had no words, and he suspected Kay was only barely containing her grief. He wished he could tell her to let it all out, but they weren't out of range of the city.

He pressed the gas pedal harder, edging slightly past the speed limit.

One hour took them to the seaside, but it was another forty-five minutes along the shoreline drive to reach Catacomb Cliffs. As they approached, Mr. Pepper slowed to a stop for a moment, clamping his headphones in place, before continuing. He stopped once more, just long enough for Kay to climb out and open the decaying RESTRICTED ACCESS fence for him to drive through. He parked at the base of the cliff, behind a cluster of boulders, and climbed out of the car. Kay was already running for the tunnel with the red feather stuck at the base. Mr. Pepper followed a little more slowly.

Every tunnel led to the cliff face, though each took a different twisting, winding route to get there. Each time they used a different tunnel than the one before, marking the choice with one of their feathers, either Aji or Kay. Teles, of course…

It was one thing to see his wife change, but it always hit a little harder to see his girls change. If he dragged his feet, Kay would already be out to sea by the time he reached the cliff face.

He pulled out a small flashlight, clicking it on, and traveled along the tunnel. He ducked his head low to avoid bumping it. He wasn't tall by any means, but this particular tunnel had a low ceiling. He followed it for several minutes, feeling his way carefully, when his foot caught on a rock. He pitched forward, hitting the ground. The motion jarred his headphones askew, just slightly.

He could feel his heart slowing even before his mind caught up to the song. He wrenched the headphones back into place, cutting off the sound, even as every neuron in his brain cried out for more. More of the song, more of the most beautiful sound in the world. He curled on the ground, gripping the headphones as hard as he could, eyes wide and staring at nothing.

And still the few seconds he had heard replayed in his mind, coaxing him to remove the headphones and allow the overwhelming grief to stop his heart completely.

He grabbed at the flashlight he'd dropped, spinning it around to point directly in his eyes. He banged his forehead against the ground once, then twice, and stared at the flashlight again. He focused on the pain, and the brilliance of the flashlight, turning away from the memory of the song.

He pulled himself to his feet, shaky now, and continued on down the tunnel. "Still happens sometimes, Lewis." He half-laughed to himself as he wiped his eyes. "You'd probably have been paying more attention where you were going. Gods, look at me, I'm already talking to you like…" He leaned against the wall, trying to breathe through the sharp pain in his gut. "... like you're gone."

He rested there for a moment, before wiping his eyes again and moving on. Teles would need him. Kay and Aji had the open air, but not Teles, and Dulcie hadn't shown any signs yet.

There was light just ahead, and two shadows in the light. He rounded the bend, coming up behind them. This tunnel led to a fairly high part of the cliff, and if he squinted he could just make out two forms winging their way out over the ocean, as far as they could. Dulcie sat at the edge, her feet dangling, her little shoulders shaking.

And standing right next to her was Mrs. Pepper. Teles gripped the edge of the opening, her talons digging into the stone, her mouth open and round, tears streaming down her face.

Mr. Pepper couldn't hear anything. He took Dulcie by the arms, carefully dragging her back from the edge. Until she displayed signs of changing, he wasn't comfortable letting her near a drop like that.

Turning to Teles, he carefully took one of her hands, avoiding the talons. She turned her eyes on him, watching as he carefully unbuttoned first one sleeve, then the other, rolling them back. The skin on her arms was puckered and pocked with a multitude of marks, twisted with the scar tissue of some injury he couldn't begin to guess at. Here and there, a twisted pinion stuck out from her arms, but there was not a single whole feather to be seen on the barren wing structure he freed from her sleeves.

"There," he said quietly, though he knew she couldn't hear over her own song. "It won't hurt so much now."

Dulcie tugged on his shirt. He turned to her, scooping her up and cradling her. She was sobbing, saying something over and over, but he couldn't take off his headphones to hear her. He tucked his hand into his sleeve, trying to wipe her face, but she was very blurry all of a sudden, and he was having trouble finding her face. He sat on the ground, rocking Dulcie as she cried, watching his wife shriek her grief in the only safe way she could, and wondered if anything would ever be right again.


	11. I've Been On The Brink

_Vivi kept her eyes on her feet as she trudged down the hall, clutching the pink slip in her hand. She'd lost count of how many she'd earned, and how many times her teachers threatened to push for expulsion. Half the detention slips were marks of a loss of control. Half she'd gained through careful and calculated misdeeds after hearing Lewis' five note whistle passing her classroom door._

_Today had been a five-note-whistle day._

_In her other hand, she clutched a shiny new leash, one that connected to a chest harness on the dog that now shadowed her. She'd been overjoyed to find her new companion would be her old one, now in an official capacity. She'd tried to find Dr. M to thank him, but had been informed there was no such doctor at the institution she'd been admitted to, and nobody was actually sure who had signed her release papers._

_But she had more pressing matters on her mind. Lewis wanted to see her, probably Squire too. They might have even managed calculated misdeeds themselves, instead of getting caught by accident for their antics as they usually did._

_Straightening her posture, she swung the library door open._

_The detention monitor groaned, gesturing to the set of school desks just in front of his own. "Vivi, what a shock. Somehow I had a feeling you'd be joining them. Just keep it quiet. Try to get something productive done for once, okay?"_

_"Sure thing, Fritz." She saluted, taking the empty seat between Lewis and Arthur, the one that had obviously been reserved for her, and opened a textbook._

_A paper ball soared past her face, barely missing her nose. She bit her lip, glancing to her right._

_Lewis frowned, lifting his hands._ _**You alright?** _ _he signed._

_She shrugged, fingering the pages of her algebra book._

_**What happened?** _ _The size of his hands made signing difficult, and he had to take it slow._

_Vivi had no such problem. She and Arthur had picked up enough sign to communicate within a couple weeks of founding the Orphan Detention Club, and neither would give up on teaching Lewis. It was essential to the club, they insisted, to be able to communicate silently, lest their Master and Overlord Sir Fritz shut them in separate rooms._

_**Hospital. Drugs. Assigned me a dog. Now I'm back,** _ _she signed, shrugging as if that was the end of it._

_A hard tap on her left shoulder drew her attention to Arthur, whose fingers moved like lightening._

_**Don't shut us out. Lewis said he had to drag you off train tracks. What gives?** _

_She turned back to her algebra, picking up a pen with great deliberation, and starting on a problem._

_A giant hand nearly swallowed hers, and the pen stilled. She couldn't bring herself to look at him._

_"Vivi, please." Lewis risked a whisper._

_Freeing her hands, she signed shakily,_ _**Have drugs now. Will do better. It was a bad week. Won't happen again.** _ _She finally raised her eyes._ _**Sorry for what I said. Didn't mean it. Was hurting.** _

_Lewis folded her hands in his again, squeezing gently._

_Squire was tapping her shoulder again, and she glanced over her shoulder to catch what he had to say._

_**You forget your homework a lot. And meetings. And where you put things.** _

_**What's your point?** _ _she responded._

_**You can't forget the drugs. Give me two days. I'll make you something.** _

_Vivi dropped her eyes to the desktop. After hearing there was no Dr. M, she'd asked for a copy of the prescription the first doctor had written her. It was sitting in her purse. All she had to do was turn it over to her house manager._

_Mystery nuzzled her leg, and she sighed. She couldn't risk another episode like that. Lew and Squire were the best thing to happen to her in a long time, and they deserved better. Having Mystery was good, but taking the meds would probably ensure she didn't pull a stunt like that again._

_**Thanks, Squire. That would be nice.** _

….

Vivi crouched by the handicapped parking sign, tying Mystery's leash to it. "You know Duet," she apologized. She returned to the car, grabbing his water bowl and setting it in front of him. "Be good and stay." She scratched behind his ears. "And thanks."

Mystery licked her hand, and she turned, entering Tome Tomb.

"Vivi-chaaaaaaaaaan!" Long sleeved arms snagged Vivi by the waist, dragging her over to the counter. "We didn't expect you in today. Duet was planning on closing the store tomorrow 'cause he thought you wouldn't be up for coming in."

"Yeah, well, Duet was wrong this time." Vivi managed half a smile. "Hope the place didn't fall apart while I was out."

"This place was running just fine before you came." Duet passed by, eyeing her over the stack of books in his arms. "It will run just fine after you leave."

"Yeah, right. When I came here there wasn't even an organizational system to the books, and you were handwriting receipts," Vivi teased.

Duet rolled his eyes. "Yes, thank you, oh great and wise Vivi, for bringing technology to our simple, backwards world."

"And organization," she prodded.

He set the books down with a thump, sorting through the stack. "How's the swing?"

"Level." Vivi pushed her glasses up. "Sorry about yesterday. Thanks for taking me to get Mystery."

"Yes, well, it became necessary." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "Have you been forgetting to take your meds?"

There were few people who could ask her that without getting their head ripped off. Duet, though, had earned the right. "No. I checked." She lifted her hand, displaying a bright blue wrist watch Arthur had tweaked for her. "Still has the last thirty days logged. I've only missed two, not enough for it to be out of my system."

"And last night?" he pressed.

She averted her eyes.

"Oh come on Senpai!" Chloe draped an arm around Vivi's shoulders and swooned back dramatically. "She just lost the love of her life, she was devastated! Bereft! Who could remember a silly little pill under those circumstances? I'm sure she'll take it as soon as she's home."

"Yeah, what she said." Vivi cleared her throat. "Duet, listen, I'm wondering if it's possible someone wiped my memories."

Duet's hands paused over the remaining books in the stack. "You still can't remember Lewis?"

"He was kinda hoping it was just the shock and the swing, but I knew better." Chloe pulled herself up, straightening Vivi's scarf. "It's like how Misuzu can't remember who she is, but gets bits and pieces back in dreams of a previous life. Maybe our Vivi will sprout wings once she remembers her true self! Or die, but personally, I'm hoping for the wings."

Ignoring Chloe, Duet turned to Vivi. "Why would you ask me this question?"

"Your hobby." Vivi tugged on her scarf. "Is there a spell that could do that? Or reverse it?"

"Yes." Duet dragged the word out. "But I haven't read a single case of a spell like that going according to plan, and usually there is residual damage to the mind of the person it's cast on."

"Even the reversal?"

Duet shifted. "I haven't read too many cases of the reversal, but changing things about the brain is a dangerous game. A human's soul may remain completely intact, but you would never know it if the brain gets diced six ways. It's too risky. If someone did put a memory spell on you, I'd strongly suggest finding what you're missing some other way, even if you have to play detective for the next ten years. Besides," he concluded, turning back to the stack, "even if you wanted them back badly enough to reverse it, you'd need a practitioner. And I'm only a collector who reads about such things."

"Sure you are." Vivi snorted, peeling herself away from Chloe and heading for the shelves. "That's why I keep getting anonymous tip-offs to check this place out with the gang."

"Yeah, I'm still waiting. You won't find anything." Duet began shelving the books. "However, I do need you to run the store tomorrow."

"Oh yeah, you were gonna close up shop. How come?"

"I have my doctor's appointment," Chloe sighed, deflating against the counter.

"Right." Vivi winced. "Sorry, slipped my mind. Getting any better?"

Chloe shrugged. "Doc says as long as I keep going in and getting treatment, they can keep it from getting worse."

Vivi sidled over to Chloe, taking her hand. "Hey, at least you're in good hands. You've got the most attentive, obnoxious colleague to nurse you back to health."

"Cousin, if you don't mind, it sounds strange and creepy otherwise." Duet glanced at the front window, eyeing Mystery through the plate glass. "Must you bring him to work every day?"

"You ask me that every day, and the answer is always the same. Why do you still bother? He's a service dog."

"And he always looks at me strangely. I don't like it."

"Well you have to deal with it." Vivi pulled out her phone, scrolling through her texts. "I can cover for you tomorrow, but I need Friday and Saturday off."

"What for?"

"Friday's the memorial service for the boyfriend I never knew I had. Seems important enough to go, and maybe I'll figure a few things out."

"And Saturday?"

Vivi touched the screen once, then clicked her phone off. "Saturday Squire's out of his second surgery. Seems like he talked them into one more. He's asking me to come to a meeting with him and the Peppers when he can get out, pending complications. Besides, he was there that night, maybe I can get some answers from him."

"Fine. Be here bright and early tomorrow, and you can have the weekend."

"You got it boss." Vivi noted Chloe, still sagging. "Hey, Chloe, why don't you tell me what you thought of the ending to Naruto?"

Chloe straightened. "Oh, darling, have I got a thing or two to say about that…"


	12. Still Fight and I Don't Know Why

_"That was the single most idiotic thing you could have done."_

_The boy crouched in the paddock, his face in his hands. He didn't dare peek between his fingers to see the damage, there was more than enough to account for within. Five had shrunk to two with the expenditure of magic, and it had been for nothing. The jewel was still bonded to her. He could sense it just as much as he could sense his own._

_"You can't be rid of your bonds," the voice crooned by his ear. A talon trailed down his scalp from the top of his head to the base of his neck. "And you can't get rid of hers either." The talons dug into the base of his neck and he caught his lip between his teeth to silence himself. He would not scream for the creature._

_"And now three of the shells are dead. You have decreased my harvest. Quite a shame, she could have had a few more years before I incorporated her."_

_"Sh-she's worthless to you now, you can't-"_

_Talons slashed across his fingers, dragging them from his face._

_A human child lay splayed on the grass, skin still glowing from the aftereffects of the spell. Spun gold curls cushioned her head, and one wound forward from her forehead a few inches._

_A ragged, leathery wing brushed past him, the fingers at the end reaching for her._

_He snapped around, falling on his back, hands upraised and glowing. The faded light he cast fell on a grinning bat-like skull. The eye-sockets lay empty._

_"Take care," the creature hissed, running a tongue along its fangs. At the back of its throat, he could see the green glare of its single sight orb watching him. It tossed its head, and the orb shifted up to the right eye-socket, rolling around in the hollow. He shuddered, his own collar burning into his flesh._

_"Take care to remember who I am. Even at your strongest you were no match for me. Now you are two, what would you do? Disappear completely?"_

_His hands dropped, the glow vanishing. The only light now came from the demon's eye and the child's body._

_The claws trailed through her hair, running up and along the curl that stuck out farthest from her head. The demon tugged at the curl, drawing it back._

_"As you see," it purred in contentment, "she is not worthless at all. Changing her form has not diminished her nature. And now that my harvest is that much smaller, she must take her place."_

_He stared at the child. Their child. Numb. There was nothing he could do. He had failed, and now she would pay._

_The claws withdrew, and the demon regarded him lazily. "So begone with you."_

_The words didn't register. He stared back dumbly._

_"You will find the gate unguarded, and the barriers lowered." The demon grinned, licking its fangs in delight. "I will not chase you. At the gate, you will even find a pack full of supplies and currency needed to live comfortably wherever you choose."_

_He scrambled for a reason. "This is a trick."_

_"Believe that if you wish. Stay here forever, I do not care."_

_"You're going to kill us the second I walk out the gate!"_

_"And what would be the point of that? I would lose what little harvest I have left." It leaned forward, drilling him with a cold glare. "Or perhaps you have not yet grasped the nature of your punishment."_

_Punishment. That was the key as to why, but how was freedom punishment?_

_"Make sure you watch the time." It clacked its jaw shut, waiting._

_His head sank back into his hands. Without the demon's incantations over their jewels at least once every three months, they would die._

_"It will be much more satisfying if you have to bring her to me of your own free will. So have your precious freedom. Live, laugh, love if you must." Its talons grazed his back lightly. "Just bring her to me for harvest every three months. Now, you will excuse me. I had business to conduct before I was interrupted." With that, it turned, leaped over the fence, and prowled back to the compound._

_He bent over, gathering the child into his arms, and stood. The paddock door hung open, as promised, and there was the pack by the gate. He pulled her curls back into place. The glow had begun to fade. Beneath it gleamed skin the color of fresh milk. He would have to find her a cloak, or some other covering. A glamour would cost him, and he could no longer afford to spend his life forces on fruitless plans. Whatever course he decided on next, it would have to work. He would only have one chance._

…...

Vivi had never liked black clothes. Of course, they didn't have to symbolize death, but more often than not she had seen black used to backdrop messages on angry shirts, formal clothing, or funeral wear.

But then again, she was attending a funeral, and blue would be in poor taste.

Open casket, they'd said. She had no idea how that would go over. She'd risked a peek at one of the photos lying face-down on her bookshelf and nearly blacked out, so she _still_ didn't know what he looked like. Perhaps, though, if she sat at the very back and didn't come forward, she could avoid another trip to the hospital.

She'd purchased a black bandanna at a thrift shop on the way over, tying it around Mystery's neck. "If I gotta dress up, so do you."

At the funeral home, she was greeted at the door by Kay, who tucked a program into her hands. She averted her eyes, casually flipping it photo-side-down. "Hi Kay. How come you're at the door? Doesn't the service cover ushers?"

"Yeah, I told them to get lost." Kay handed a program to an elderly woman skirting around Vivi. "I can handle this much."

"How are you holding up?"

Kay examined the program in her hand intently. "Trying not to think too hard about it. Making sure Aji doesn't punch a hole in the wall. Seeing if we can get Dulcie to open up."

"Dulcie? What's wrong with her?"

"Nothing!" The program crinkled. "Nothing, I'm sorry. She… she stopped talking, and… she won't wear anything that fits right anymore."

Vivi blinked. "Like, she wears clothes that are too small?"

Kay stared at her, and Vivi felt a bit smaller for it. She dropped her eyes. "Sorry. I know I'm supposed to be…"

Kay smoothed out the program. "It's alright. It's not your fault. Got your text, maybe Arthur can explain more when he comes by tomorrow. That is… if he hasn't forgotten Lewis too…"

Vivi ducked her head, shuffling in behind a middle-aged couple. She peeled off at the very back pew and slid to the farthest corner. Mystery hopped up and settled across her lap. "I bet you remember Lewis," she murmured, stroking his head. "I must have known him. I know his family, but I can't even remember how I met them."

The pew creaked, and Mystery gave a low growl. Vivi glanced up to see Duet a few feet away, eyeing Mystery nervously.

"Duet, why are you here? Mystery, down!" She nudged Mystery off her lap. The funeral director was ambling toward the front, so she lowered her voice. "Why are you here?"

"Figured you could use a familiar face." He shrugged.

"Who's running the store? Chloe always takes a couple sick days after her appointments."

"Store's closed today. Nobody's around on Fridays anyway, you know that."

Vivi grunted in acknowledgement, turning her attention to the front. The funeral director was delivering the welcome in a monotone that could give Ben Stein a run for his money. Near the front, she could see the back of Aji's head next to the back of Mr. Pepper's head. The back of Mrs. Pepper's head tilted toward Dulcie's cotton-candy pink pigtails, each tied off with a purple cloth today.

Odd, Vivi noted. Dulcie usually preferred over-bedazzled hair scrunchies and butterfly clips.

The poem and eulogy were lovely, the first obviously penned by Aji and the second by a paid professional. Each described a complete stranger, but in strangely different ways. Aji's poem dripped loss with every line, while the eulogy attempted to soothe a wound it had never known.

As the people who had known Lewis began to come forward to share, Vivi found herself wishing more and more that she could remember this man they all cared for.

"He was a good lad. Always polite, brought me my usual on time and called me 'sir' and smiled. Hope it's a better place where you are."

"I thought my brother was crazy for taking in a thug off the street, y'know what I'm sayin'? I says to my brother, I says, 'You know you're gonna be out several hundred bucks when he up and skedaddles with your valuables.' But Lewis, he was a good guy, never lived up to my worries. Sorry to see him go, 'specially like that."

"I remember when he and his friends came to take care of a poltergeist for me. I was scared, but he talked me down. He acted like it was nothing, and because he was so calm, I could be too."

In the middle of the service, Dulcie stood and sidled down the aisle, keeping her eyes low.

A bucket of ice water over her head would have been less of a shock to Vivi's system. Dulcie shuffled slowly in a pair of black men's dress shoes. Baggy purple slacks pooled around her ankles, held up by some inventive rigging Vivi couldn't guess at, because it was covered by a billowing white dress shirt. The sleeves stretched far past Dulcie's hands and nearly dragged on the ground. A purple vest buttoned all the way up kept the shirt from sagging too low.

A dull throb set up in the back of Vivi's head, and she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Is that his outfit?" she rasped.

"It was what he most commonly wore, yes." Duet peered sidelong at her. "Side effects?"

"Headaches, blacking out, nausea." She gritted her teeth. "I gotta find out what happened and how. How am I supposed to figure anything out when his accessories alone send me into a tailspin?"

"Just keep digging wherever and whenever you can. You'll find what you need eventually." He crossed his arms, leaning back. "If anyone can figure something out, it's you."

"You bet your snoz boggler I can, and I'm going to."

The photo montage was playing. A few heads turned, searching for the interrupting voice. Aji lifted a hand in greeting, just barely, never turning her head. Vivi winced, settling back to watch the rest of the service.

As the video ended, attendees were invited to rise and file past the casket. The Pepper family was first. Dulcie had rejoined them, and was first in line. Vivi had studiously avoided looking at the shiny black box at the back of the stage, but Duet nudged her, whispering, "You can't really see him. It's okay."

She allowed herself a glimpse, and then a longer inspection. The only visible part of Lewis were his hands, clasped in view just above the rim of the casket. They were, she decided, the single largest pair of hands she had ever seen in her life. If this Lewis was anywhere near proportionally accurate, taking into account the bagginess of Dulcie's outfit, he would have towered a good couple of feet over her head at the very least.

She wondered how many times she had held those hands.

"The morticians must have pulled a miracle outta their sleeves if this is open-casket," Vivi muttered. "The report said he was spiked through the chest and gut." Duet grunted, but made no reply.

The last person to pass the casket was Kay. Nearly everyone else had filed out of the chapel room when Kay finally approached the stage. She reached in, curling her dark fingers around his pale hands.

Vivi scooped Mystery into her arms, carefully sliding past Duet. "I can't go up, and I think she'll want some time. Coming?"

"In a minute." Duet pressed himself against the pew as she passed with Mystery. "Or, perhaps, another time we can speak more. When your dog is more firmly secured."

Rolling her eyes, Vivi exited into the reception area. Small tables stood scattered around, laden with trays of crackers, dips, and cheeses. People milled about in small herds, each tiny group talking over each other about Lewis, the Peppers, and the terrible tragedy.

After a few minutes, Kay exited the chapel and joined a small herd by the door. Vivi frowned. No sign of Duet. Was Mystery really that much of a bother to him? She poked her head into the chapel, ready to call him out for being ridiculous.

Duet stood in front of the casket, his hands spread along the edges, head bowed. Duet knew Lewis that well? He was speaking to Lewis, but there was too much background noise for her to hear. Mystery leaned against her leg with a soft whuff.

Past the background murmur, she began to be able to pick out a few words, then whole sentences.

"...too bad. We're sorry. You should have known better, though. Nobody leaves. It was just a matter of time." The despondency in Duet's voice shook Vivi. What was he talking about? "Memory loss. Typical Shiker. I bet the scarring's there too. With signs like Vivi's around your death, there's no way you weren't Owned too. I wish I'd known, maybe you'd know what to do. I'm too close. I can't see the way out anymore."

Vivi gripped the door frame. Duet was scaring her now. What was a Shiker? Scarring? What did Duet know about her memory?

She backed up, turning and plunging through the herds and out the exit. Her text messages were full of pleas from a blocked number to investigate Tome Tomb and its staff. Maybe it was time to take the tip-off seriously.


	13. From All The Truth That I've Said

_Lewis was thrilled by the idea of Mr. Pepper teaching him all kinds of recipes at the Pepper Paradiso, but for once he'd decided to stay home after school. He phoned Mr. Pepper, letting him know that he'd be taking care of Aji, before calling in an invitation to the Kingsmen residence._

_By the time Arthur arrived, Lewis was already charging around the living room with Aji on his shoulders, whinnying like a horse as she screeched in delight. "Make way for the gallant steed and the princess!"_

_Arthur dropped his backpack onto the couch and plopped next to it, pulling out his class notes._

_Lewis paused, stopping by the arm of the couch. "You still mad at me?"_

_Arthur ran a hand through his hair. "Well, kinda! I mean, you ask for my help rigging up cams, tell me weird stuff is going on at your home, then you don't talk to me for five days?"_

_Lewis winced, pulling Aji off his shoulders and directing her toward the kitchen. "Hey, why don't you grab a juice box?" When she'd toddled off toward the kitchen, he faced Arthur again. "Look, it's nothing bad like I thought. I just got caught, and I ended up asking them about all that stuff. They don't do music because it's a religious thing for them. They're not gonna stop me from enjoying it, they just don't want it around the house or anywhere they work. They do the gag thing because…. because it's fun."_

_"Lewis, y'know how you keep telling me you're taking your past to your grave?"_

_"Yeah?"_

_"You touch the back of your neck when you do that."_

_"So?"_

_"You're touching the back of your neck now."_

_Lewis cursed._

_"So you're keeping secrets again." Arthur folded his arms. "At least tell me this, are you safe?"_

_"Yes." The answer came without hesitation. "I wouldn't still be here if I wasn't safe."_

_"So you're staying?" Arthur glanced sidelong at him._

_Lewis smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I'm staying. Lucky thing, too. I'd hate to have to start over when I just found a best friend."_

_Arthur looked down again. Lewis' smile slipped._

_"I mean… if you think we are best friends?"_

_"Best friends don't keep a lot of secrets, Lew. And how am I supposed to help if I don't know what's going on?" Arthur demanded._

_"But that's the thing, you don't have to help. I'm safe."_

_"Yeah, but what if you're not one day? What if something bad happens, and I can't do anything about it 'cause I'm missing info that could save you?"_

_Lewis considered this. "I don't think any amount of secret-spilling would save me if real trouble came up," he mused, "but how about this. How about no more secrets after this? These are my last ones, and after this, it's all in the open. Okay?"_

_Arthur stared at his knees. "I hope so, Lew."_

_Lewis perched on the arm of the couch. "Hey, I know you think you gotta take care of me, but just because you were born a lot earlier in the year doesn't mean it always have to be you. We're in the same grade, y'know. I wanna have your back as much as you've got mine. You just happen to be better at shock-wiring peoples' lockers."_

_Arthur smirked. "Still got photos. Their expressions were priceless."_

_Lewis grinned. "Yeah, plus we got a laugh out of the detention monitor with the pics." He stuck out his hand. "So, what do you say? Look out for each other, and no more secrets?"_

_Arthur took his hand, shaking it. "No more secrets."_

…...

Arthur gripped Uncle Lance's shoulder, swaying like a drunkard as they approached the Pepper household. It was difficult to pick out which of the five sets of porch steps to take, but a quick shake of his head brought the five back into focus. One set was all he faced.

 _There are_ way _too many drugs in my system_ , he thought. He couldn't tell what was worse, losing balance and focus, or the heavy chunk of metal hanging off his shoulder that grated against nerves and bone every time he twitched. There had to be a way of modifying the dosage.

"You sure about this, kid?" Uncle Lance stood steady as a rock. "No goin' back after this."

Arthur leaned forward, grimacing at the dull ache. Maybe a modification at the shoulder, with local anesthetics delivered straight to the system every few hours. That would be his first upgrade. That way he could still have his wits about him. He'd need them in the weeks to come. He gave what he hoped was a firm nod to his uncle, and tried to follow him to the steps.

"Could'a at least waited a few days. Yer mental for comin' day after a major surgery," Uncle Lance grumbled.

Six doors swung open-no, one, it was just one-and Vivi rushed out. Uncle Lance threw his arms out to stop her. "WHOAH girlie! Take it slow! Easy! He shouldn't even be standin' right now, but won't take no for an answer. Help me get him in, wouldya?"

Vivi hurried around to his side, and his swaying lessened as she braced him at the waist. "That important, Squire?" she muttered. He nodded again, or at least, he hoped he had. Up ahead Mr. and Mrs. Pepper had spilled out onto the porch and were reaching out to help him and his uncle up.

"Whatever it was, I'm sure it could have waited." Mrs. Pepper held the door open, her other hand rising and falling like she wasn't quite sure how to best help him with it.

Arthur shook his head, staggering into Vivi. She caught him by his prosthetic, and he shrieked, not at the pain, but at the feeling of metal scraping where it should never have been.

_I'm such an idiot. The prosthetic wasn't ready. What was I thinking getting the implant hooked up so soon? The team tried to warn me..._

Somehow he found himself on their couch, leaning into the cushions, head tilted back. He tried very hard to not think about the physical sensations he couldn't hope to tear his mind away from. _This is normal,_ he told his brain, _the new normal. This feeling is a part of my body now._

It would take weeks, maybe months, before his brain accepted this new reality.

A cool cloth spread across his forehead, bringing him back to the moment. The ceiling spun wildly, and bile rose in his gut.

The nausea receded as a heavy weight settled onto his lap. He blinked, staring at the now-still ceiling. Come to think of it, his thoughts weren't as fuzzy around the edges anymore either. The last time that had happened…

He tilted his head forward, the cloth sliding down his face and dropping onto the dog that draped across his lap. Mystery's tail lifted in a cautious wag, ears laid back a few degrees.

Right. Vivi was here, so Mystery would be too. He supposed if he was slightly less drugged he might be tense at the dog's proximity, but now that he could think straight again, the only thing on his mind was the typed letter in his vest pocket.

_No secrets._

Uncle Lance set himself down beside Arthur, fingering a hole in the knee of his jeans. Arthur finally raised his head to take in the rest of the room.

Mrs. Pepper hovered by the arm of the couch, relocating the cold cloth from Mystery's back to the back of Arthur's neck. Mr. Pepper sat at the edge of his recliner directly across from Arthur. Dulcie had wedged in next to her father. Kay shifted from foot to foot near Lance, glancing at the spot he'd claimed by Arthur. Vivi paced a path in the carpet by the door, and Aji glowered at him from the far corner of the living room.

"So, you got us all together to tell us something? Shame you missed the service yesterday. Probably could have told us then." Aji brushed a curl out of her face.

"Aji," Kay scolded. "He was in surgery."

"Yeah, so I heard." She crossed her arms, her stare cold and accusing. "So, what's going on?"

Mr. Pepper frowned, but said nothing.

Arthur fumbled in his pocket, withdrawing the letter and handing it to Lance. Lance took it, heaving a long sigh.

"So, listen up. Artie can't talk right now, dunno when he'll be able to. Aftereffects of that night, so he wrote this up an' asked me to read it. He'll answer anythin' best as he can with his phone after, text-to-speech or some crazy app he found. Everyone got it?" At their nods, his uncle unfolded the paper. Arthur turned his eyes on Kay, watching her as Lance began.

"There isn't any easy way to say this. I pushed-Really, kid?" Lance turned on him, incredulous. "THAT'S how you start the letter?"

A fly beat itself against the front window, the sound of its body hitting the glass now the loudest thing in the room.

Arthur pointed back to the paper, his hand shaking, and Lance began again. "I pushed Lewis. The cave we checked out had a skull 'n crossbones out front, but we went to investigate anyway, the four of us. We split up at a fork in the cave. Vivi went right with Mystery. Lewis and I went left. We came to a cliff, and he leaned over to look."

"You piece of crap." Aji took a step forward, her voice low. "It's you? You're the reason he's gone?"

Kay's hand shot out, gripping Aji's wrist.

"Are you kidding?" Aji ripped her hand away. "You're defending him even now?"

"Is the letter finished, Lance?" Mr. Pepper asked, threadbare. As Lance shook his head, Mr. Pepper gestured. "Then please, continue."

"There was somethin' in that cave. Had ta be a demon. Lewis 'n I had a fight just before, and I was mad. Demons do that when they want a host, they get in on the heels of negative emotions. My arm moved and shoved him, I couldn't stop it. There was somethin' else in the cave, some kinda guardian that ripped my arm off before the demon got any more control."

Mystery licked Arthur's hand gently. He flinched, but there were no teeth. It was just the tip of Mystery's tongue. He rested a hand on the dog's head, still cautious, and scratched behind his ear.

"Uncle Lance told me Vivi doesn't remember Lewis. I don't know why that happened, or what the cave did to her. I found her back where we split up. She had a blank look, and I was losing blood, so I grabbed her and ran for the exit. I called 9-1-1. I couldn't talk, just made noises, but they said they were tracking my phone. Then they found us."

Lance paused for a moment, the page crinkling in his grip. "I don't know if you b'lieve me. You know what we deal with. Whatever was in that cave wasn't a standard demon, but it doesn't matter. If you don't believe me, you can take this paper to the police. I've signed it, it will be my confession to murder. I'll plead guilty. You won't have to fight me or drag this crap out for years. I'll go quietly."

"If you believe me, then when they take me for questioning, officially I don't remember any more than Vivi does. Whatever you decide, I will accept."

Arthur stared at the spot on Mystery's back, tracing it with a finger. The fly against the window hit more frantically.

Short, clipped footsteps came at him. He tensed half a second before a blow to the jaw snapped his head sideways. Vivi left his side and darted forward, scuffling. He turned his head back slowly to see Vivi restraining Aji.

"Bastard!" Aji swung wildly, barely missing Vivi. "Give me that paper! I'm taking it straight to the cops!"

"Aji Pepper sit down!" Mrs. Pepper's eyes burned as she grabbed her daughter's shoulder. "This is not your decision, and I will not have this in my home!"

"He killed Lewis!" Aji choked, now shoving at Vivi. "He's a murderer, Vivi if you could remember you'd want him to rot. Why are you protecting him?"

"Because we don't have all the facts and proof!" Vivi hissed. "Of anybody right now, I might be in the best position to see past emotion precisely because I can't remember Lewis Pepper."

"Yeah, says Ms. Swingsville." Aji yanked free of Vivi and her mother, backing away.

"That was uncalled for." Kay glared at Aji, who gaped at her.

"Whose side are you on?" she demanded. When Kay dropped her gaze, Aji gave a bitter laugh. "Sure. I get it. Loverboy over your own brother. Doin' Lewis real proud, Kay."

"Why would he lie?" Kay blurted. "He lost an arm!"

"Yeah, and it's better to lose an arm than get accused of murder I bet!"

Mrs. Pepper's tone was dark. "Aji if you can't say anything helpful right now-"

"What? What are you going to do?" Aji demanded. "Flightstrip me?"

Mrs. Pepper took a step back, eyes wide, mouth open.

"Aji." Mr. Pepper stood, taking her by the shoulders. "Please."

Aji stiffened, her back ramrod straight. Mr. Pepper didn't say anything else, only held her shoulders. Aji finally backed out of his grip, taking her place against the wall again, arms folded tight across her middle.

Arthur probed his jaw, wiping a streak of blood from his mouth. He took the paper from his uncle's hand and prodded Mystery off his lap. He stood carefully and tottered forward. Immediately, Vivi grabbed his good arm, supporting him as he crossed the room to Mrs. Pepper. He flexed his prosthetic with care, bringing it around with painstaking concentration to grab the paper from his other hand. He overshot the first time, but adjusted, closing the fingers around the paper, and offering it to Mrs. Pepper.

She took the paper, opening it up and smoothing it out to read it over again.

"Is there any proof?" Mr. Pepper asked quietly.

Arthur shook his head, gesturing at his robotic limb. Beyond his arm, he couldn't prove anything.

"Convenient," Aji spat, but stayed put.

Arthur closed his eyes. _Lewis would believe me. Lewis would know. He had to know, he was facing me, he had to see what happened._

_But he's gone. And if they don't believe me, I'm not putting them through any more grief._

He opened his eyes to see Mrs. Pepper glance up from the letter. Her eyes glistened as she lowered the paper.

"It's not your fault," she said softly.

Arthur swallowed, his grip on Vivi tightening.

"What?" Aji exploded. "Mom, are you joking?"

Mr. Pepper came to stand by Mrs. Pepper. "Arthur, I don't see any reason to disbelieve you. You and Lewis have been close since he came here. Even if you had a fight, I can't believe you'd kill him on purpose."

Something wrapped around his waist, and Arthur glanced down to see Dulcie hugging him.

Mrs. Pepper tore the paper to shreds. Aji fled the room, her door-slam shaking the house. Kay studied her feet, and Arthur held his breath.

She finally lifted her head. "So, what are you gonna do?"

Arthur glanced at Vivi questioningly.

"I'm with you, Squire." Vivi's response was instant. "Your story fits, and you've never steered me wrong."

Arthur pulled his arm out of Vivi's grip and fished in his pocket for his phone. Opening up his text-to-speech app, he typed in his response to Kay.

**Going to find out what demon that was and send it back to hell.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to the admin of the Rise and Fall of Nickelodian FB page for the idea on Arthur having this pre-written. It does make more sense…


	14. There For You

_"Go away. No boys allowed." Kay hugged her arms across her chest. Balanced perfectly in the fork of the single sycamore in the park, she glared down at the purple haired intruder. Lewis circled the base of the tree, trying to determine the best way up._

_"How did you get up there anyway?" He threw up his hands. "Did you fly?"_

_"That's not funny. Go away. This is my spot, find your own."_

_"Well, it's a fair question."_

_Kay leaned back and stared up at the sky. Maybe if she ignored him, he'd go away._

_"Kay, I want to talk, but there's too many people and I can't get up there. I don't even know how you did. Please?"_

_"I don't wanna talk."_

_"Mrs. Pepper wanted to talk. She was glad I was still here, how come you're not? I thought we were getting along."_

_"Yeah, and you're gonna leave any day anyway 'cause we're not safe." She plucked a leaf and tore off a tiny piece. "You were right, so go away already."_

_"I'm not going anywhere!"_

_"Yeah, sure. You're still calling Mom 'Mrs. Pepper.'"_

_"Yeah, well, she's not my mom and it's not okay to do that."_

_She poked her head over the side again. "Do you even have a mom? Where'd you come from? Why are you here?" When Lewis didn't respond, she leaned back. "You should go home. Your old family wouldn't kill you by accident."_

_Something thudded against the tree. Below, she could hear grunts and groans and something scuffling._

_"Kay?" Lewis' voice was closer, and she glanced down to see him hanging from the lowest branch, legs clamped to the main trunk. "Kay, if I go up any further I don't think I'll get back down without breaking something,_ please _come down!"_

_Frowning, she let him hang there for a few second, before relenting. "Handhold right there." She pointed at a carefully carved niche. "One over here, and here."_

_"Wait, you made these? Cheater!"_

_"I didn't make 'em, someone else did. I just found 'em."_

_Lewis grunted as he clambered up to a nearby branch, hugging the main trunk even after he found a spot to perch. "So. Siren. Family. This is high."_

_Kay stared ahead._

_"So, Mrs. Pepper says I can stay. So does Mr. Pepper, and Aji is happy. What do you think?"_

_"I think you're gonna leave."_

_"I'm not gonna leave."_

_"Yeah and if you don't, I'll probably kill you."_

_"You don't know that."_

_"I almost did!" Kay ripped the leaf in half and grabbed another fistful of them, shredding each one. "If Mom didn't come home and save you, you were dead! I get it now. You get to go to school and have friends and have music because you're_ normal _and I have to stay home and hide because I'm a monster and I can kill people."_

_There was a pause, and then Lewis managed, "Kay, can you lean over here? Because I don't think I can get over there from here."_

_Kay flipped her legs over the fork to the side closer to Lewis. Her feet dangled just over his head. Reaching up, he put a hand on her ankle, patting it. "I'd pat your head, but it's too far away." Keeping his eyes on the ground, he continued. "You know, there's a lot of really horrible ways to die, but I don't think 'death by music' is the worst one at all." She stiffened, and he backpedaled. "Not that I think you're going to kill me, I'm sure you've learned all kinds of neat things and I hope you tell me how it went and all. Um." His legs tightened on the branch, and he dragged his eyes away from the ground and looked up at her. "Kay, I don't know if this is a good thing to say or not, but I've never heard anything like that before."_

_Kay's knuckles flashed white on the branch. "Yeah. That's the point. That's why people will do anything I want if I'm careful, and die if I'm not. That's what Mom says, anyway."_

_"I don't mean it like that. I mean, yeah, okay. I get it, I'm human, and it's going to be amazing to me no matter what, right? But I wanna… I don't know." He frowned, searching for the right words. "I was kind of interested in music before, but now I really really want to do more with it. A lot more. Maybe do an instrument even."_

_" 'Play' an instrument?"_

_"Yeah, that."_

_Kay's head drooped. "I wish I could hear it."_

_Lewis frowned. "Well, then I'll learn to write music too, so you can read it."_

_Glancing at him, Kay lifted her head. "You'd do that?"_

_"Sure. I'm gonna be around for a long time, and everybody needs music somehow. I've seen songbooks around and they're not yours. Even Mrs. Pepper loves it. So, what do you say? Can I stay?"_

_Kay watched Lewis. His hand was trembling a little on her ankle, and his eyes kept wavering back toward the ground, but he stayed put on the branch. "Yeah, I guess so. Just stick to the house rules, okay?"_

_"I swear," Lewis said vehemently. "I don't care how stupid the rule sounds, I'll follow every last one. Now can we please get down from here?"_

….

Kay inhaled deeply as she walked into the front end of Kingsmen Mechanics. While the scent of the ocean was a reminder of everything in her life she had no control over, the smell of road-weary tires and used oil and engine grease was a balm.

It had taken her two days to come to full terms with what Arthur had said. She believed him, of course. The Mystery Skulls sought out the impossible and the paranormal on a regular basis. There was no reason to think Arthur was lying about a demonic encounter. Lewis had brought home more than enough stories of his own in life.

No time to think about Lewis. She'd consoled Dulcie all morning and spent half an hour talking at Aji's locked door. Now Arthur needed her. _Focus on the living._

Nobody manned the front counter. She dinged the bell in a rhythm, murmuring, "Shave-and-a-hair-cut."

"Two bits," came the gruff response from Lance. "Back shop."

She circled around the counter, pushing through a door to the garages.

_High dive into frozen waves where the past comes back to life._

Her breath hitched. This part was always the hardest. She set one foot in front of the other, focusing on the path her feet took as they brought her closer to Arthur.

_Fight fear for the selfish pain, it was worth it every time._

The radio was on again. He always played something when he worked. Electro, he proclaimed, was hands down the best genre the planet had ever produced, no matter what Lewis said.

_Hold still right before we crash 'cause we both know how this ends. A clock ticks 'til it breaks your glass and I drown in you again._

The words and melody peeled at her control, but she kept her focus firm as she approached the room, bracing herself as she reached for the knob and swung the door open.

' _Cause you are the piece of me I wish I didn't need, chasing relentlessly, still fight and I don't know why._

He hunched over a battered wooden worktable, a black strap around the back of his head signaling the presence of protective eyewear. The left sleeve hung limp, strips of gauze trailing out. His right arm curved around to the front. Metal shavings lay in scattered heaps around his stool and the room stank of butane.

_If our love is tragedy why are you my remedy? If our love's insanity—_

She couldn't take much more. "Hey two-bits," she managed.

Arthur immediately set his tool down, reaching over to flip the radio off.

_—why are you my clarit—_

Releasing a slow breath, she allowed her shoulders to relax. "Thanks."

He spun around on the stool to face her, pulling up the goggles and dipping his head. He never failed to respect her 'religious preferences.'

She fidgeted. Usually he'd have greeted her with a hug, or yanked her off to some part of the shop to show off some half-finished project he had cooking on the side. Instead, he stared at some point just over her shoulder, gripping the edge of the stool with his hand.

She reached toward his face carefully, fingertips touching his jaw. A nasty greenish mark stained the skin, and she pursed her lips. "Aji really did a number, huh?"

Arthur shrugged, but she could feel him lean into her touch. Still he didn't rise.

"Is…. this a bad time?" she hedged. "I can go if-"

His hand came up to rest over hers, squeezing.

"Okay, so you want me to stay." Maybe he wasn't ready for more contact yet. She nodded toward his worktable. "What's the project today?"

He rolled himself a few inches back. The metal arm she'd seen him wearing two days ago lay on the table, spread open to reveal the internal wiring and circuitry. He reached for a smartphone lying nearby and opened his speech app.

**Needs work.**

"Seriously? You've been going on about this thing for the past six months. Between you and the tech-heads at the college, I thought it was pretty much done."

Arthur shrugged, the corner of his mouth twitching up. **First human trial. Needs work.**

"Yeah, what kind of work?"

He raised an eyebrow. **Slower talking with app.**

"I've got nothing to do." She pulled up a stool. "You'll have to use that for awhile It's going to take me awhile to learn sign. Don't look so surprised, Vivi told me you already know it and that she'd teach me when she had time. Just because you can't talk doesn't mean I can't adjust."

Arthur looked down, picking up a small screwdriver and spinning it between his fingers.

"What? What's the matter?"

He glanced up at her, unable to fully meet her eyes. He stuck the screwdriver behind his ear and reached for his phone again.

**I'm glad you're not. But. It's like you should be hitting me too. He meant a lot to you.**

Kay closed her eyes. She wanted to change the subject, but it was obviously bothering Arthur. "Mom's right. It's not your fault."

A soft click signaled him setting the phone down. She opened her eyes, watching him turn back to the worktable, running a finger along the metal arm.

"It's not your fault," she insisted. His mouth tugged down hard at the corners. "And you're going to find that thing and make it pay, right?"

He rested his forehead on the table, clenching his eyes shut. His nostrils flared as his breathing came harder. Kay laid a hand on his shoulder, but he jerked back, shaking his head firmly. Stung, she pulled back.

Lewis. He was drowning in Lewis right now. She had to give him more to do, something to take his mind off her brother. It worked for her, no reason it shouldn't work for him. The arm was too much of a reminder, he needed different projects once he was done. The wheels were already turning in her mind as she backstepped to the door.

"You need some time," she heard herself saying. "I'll go. I'll come see you later, okay? Text me if you need anything." And then she was through the door and out, giving the desk bell two goodbye chimes before leaving the shop.

She knew just where to start 'finding' broken things. It would be perfect, and maybe supplement his income some too. It wasn't like her parents were hurting financially anymore. The restaurant could handle paying to fix a few broken appliances. Anything to take her mind off—to take his mind off the pain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lyrics from Clarity by Zedd and Foxes. Reminder that pre-existing arm headcannon is attributed to dontfeeddaelves and the mute!Arthur headcanon is attributed to same person as well as zeroroheichou and darkfire-kai


	15. Of Monsters And Men

"Hey Duet, got any books on a Shiker?" Vivi honed in on Duet's body language as she called the question over her shoulder. His shoulders stiffened, his hands faltered a moment, and he cleared his throat before answering.

"Where'd you dig that term up?"

 _Oh you know, buster._ Aloud, she answered, "Found it in some of Lewis' stuff. Turns out I can read things he wrote, I just can't see pictures of him or stuff he wore a lot." Duet didn't have to know she couldn't work up the nerve to actually open the journal she'd found nestled on the shelf of books she didn't recall buying. It unnerved her the amount of items in her home that she could not specifically remember. Cookware she had no clue how to use. An iPod filled with classical music and Broadway showtunes. An extra toothbrush. The list went on. All evidence indicated that this Lewis had actually moved in with her at some point. "He mentions a 'Shiker' a lot. I tried looking it up, but all I got was that it's Yiddish slang for someone who doesn't buy their friends a drink, and a few singers who have that as a last name. I don't think that's what he meant."

"I assume, if you're asking me, you want to know if there are any occult connotations." Duet kept his back to her, Vivi noted, and his hands directly in front of himself where she couldn't see them. "I don't know off the top of my head. I could do some research, I suppose. I'm pretty busy lately, so it might take me awhile."

 _You'll never get around to it. Time to spring groundwork phase two._ "Sounds good. How's Chloe doing?"

"Better. She'll be ready to come back to work tomorrow."

"Oh, good. Drop her off at my place tonight. We'll drive in for our shift tomorrow."

A book hit the ground. "Wh-what?"

"Oh, sorry, forgot to tell you." Vivi flashed a smile. "I texted Chloe on my break, sent her an invite. We're gonna marathon Air TV and Pretear tonight. She's pretty determined to explain all the symbolism I apparently missed on my first viewing."

"Ah, I don't know if that's a good-"

"Don't worry, she sent me a list of her dietary restrictions. You never told me you guys were vegan."

"Lacto vegetarian," he muttered.

"Right, and some weird skin condition which is why she covers up and can't be exposed to too much sun which, by the way, really shouldn't be a problem since it's at night."

"Um, but-"

"And she doesn't like the dark, so leave a lamp on while she sleeps. Everything is covered. Oh, and if you're worried about Mystery, I already dropped him off at Arthur's. Speaking of Squire, he wants everything we have on demons, so I'd better pull those together. Could you drive those over to him? Your shift's almost over anyway."

"Vivi, you can't just-"

"Chloe sounded so thrilled. I mean, it's text, but there was plenty of capslock. How often does she get out if she's so thrilled to spend time with her co-worker anyway?" She put a slight edge on her joking tone and was rewarded with heavy silence. "So, anyway, make sure to drop her off tonight, ok? I'll text her that she's good to come… um…" She made a show of searching her purse. "Crap. Forgot my phone. Can I borrow yours?"

"What for?" The annoyance in his tone was satisfying. She'd succeeded in knocking him off-balance.

"To text Chloe that it's all set." She reached over, plucking Duet's phone out of his pocket. "Thanks!"

"Hey!" he protested, reaching. "You can't just-"

"It'll just be a sec," she assured him, flipping to the text app. Half turning away, she slipped a tiny chip into the extra memory card slot in the side, making a mental note to thank Arthur later. After shooting off a quick text to Chloe, she handed the phone back. "There we go, sleepover confirmed. Thanks Duet!" She strolled toward the occult section. "I'll bring Arthur's books out for you before you leave. He's at the Pepper Paradiso. Mystery will be there with him, so try and keep your jumpiness at a minimum, yeah?"

Snagging a stepstool with her foot, she hopped up on it, scanning the shelves for appropriate volumes. Arthur really had requested whatever she could find. They'd had a short strategy meeting over Skype. Vivi would try to figure out Duet's connection with Lewis and her memories, while Arthur would comb all channels for information on the Shiker and demonic behavior.

 _ **We got cocky,**_ Arthur had typed. _ **We'd handled low-level demons a few times so we thought we'd be fine going into that cave. Forget the skull and crossbones, there were runes all over the interior walls. Have pics on my phone. We were out of our league, but didn't pay attention. Time to step up our game.**_

Vivi pulled a few volumes off the shelf and delivered them to Duet, herding him toward the door with a steady stream of chatter and ending with a cheerful, "Have a great evening!"

If she'd done her part, Duet would think she was in the middle of an upswing. Hopefully he would let Chloe come, but even if he didn't, their address was as good as hers. She flipped open her phone, opening up the connection to Duet's cell. Not once could she recall Duet giving her a straight answer when she asked for his and Chloe's address. Within a few hours she would have it.

Two more texts had hit her phone that morning.

**im telling u. sumthin weerd at tome tom.**

**r u guys checkin tem out yet?**

The number was blocked. Arthur had mentioned a simple hack he could run later, but that would be after the sleepover.

A twinge nicked her conscience. Duet had always been good to her. He'd kept her on staff through and in spite of her worst episodes. But his words to Lewis' corpse gnawed at her. Given the circumstances, this was a mystery she couldn't let slide.

And maybe Duet needed more help than he could let on.

She opened his texts, scanning through them. Scrolling past her and Chloe's threads, she flipped open the only other one she saw. A number with no contact name had texted Duet **Time?** repeatedly, followed each time by Duet's response of a different time. This exchange repeated, according to the date, every few months. Vivi copied the number to her contacts, noting to trace it later with Arthur.

Hopefully Chloe would be mostly recovered from her appointment, but if she wasn't, Vivi was prepared.

_Why didn't I ever do something like this for her before?_

The thought caught her off guard. She'd been working at Tome Tomb for a few years now with Chloe attending her appointment every three to four months. Why had she never offered to take her in for a girl's night to help her recover from whatever-it-was they still wouldn't tell her? Even if there had been a Lewis living with her, surely he could have crashed with Arthur or his parents for a night or two.

"No time like the present to make up for it." Maybe she could even learn to tolerate the girl's obnoxious obsessive nature, or at least redirect it to something constructive.

….

The second Vivi pulled away in the Mystery van, Arthur locked his door and started walking. He wanted nothing more than to drop Mystery's leash and run, but that probably wouldn't do any good. How did one run from a beast like that? Still, he wasn't ready to be with the dog in a one on one setting yet, and he'd gotten texts from Kay _and_ Mr. Pepper that a few appliances at the Pepper Paradiso had begun acting up.

He swung by the shop to pack a small bag of essential tools before slinging it over his shoulder and heading out again. He refused to look down, but could hear the click of Mystery's nails on the sidewalk.

His eyelid twitched as the connecting socket for his prosthetic ground against bone again. The local anesthetic modification worked like a charm and pain was no longer an issue, but it didn't stop the nauseating sense that something was terribly wrong whenever he moved his prosthetic too much. The limb functioned well enough, but couldn't bear too much weight on its own. Arthur had already written to the university team, letting them know that future patients would need the implant anchored much deeper in the body and supported by more bone structure than previously supposed. It was too late for his implant, but a body harness connected to the shoulder allowed for more weight distribution and let him lift nearly as much as he would have been able to with his natural arm.

He swung open the door to the Pepper Paradiso. He'd timed his arrival for the end of lunch rush. Less people would be rushing around him in the back, but there would still be enough customers to keep the Peppers busy. He didn't feel like texting all his answers today. A few YouTube videos were getting him back in practice with sign, but none of the Peppers knew ASL.

Waving at Mr. Pepper, he guided Mystery to the gang's regular booth, pausing a moment at the table. His fingers traced the edge, drawing a line through dust that had settled on the table. Nearly every other table had customers, but this one remained empty.

He snapped his fingers out of habit, and Mystery hopped up onto the booth seat. He dropped the leash and lifted his hands. Time to see how well Mystery had been paying attention in high school. **Stay** , he signed.

Mystery's ears flattened, but he dipped his head.

Fighting a shudder, Arthur headed back into the kitchen. According to Kay, the rice cooker and the main oven had crapped out. The rice cooker could wait, but too many dishes had been suspended because of the oven.

Kay waved in passing as he arrived at the stove. He offered a small wave before turning to the monstrous appliance, twirling a screwdriver between his fingers. He removed all racks before dropping his bag to the ground and settling cross-legged on the floor of the oven.

 _I should try taking her out later. She probably needs to get her mind off Lewis._ He pulled out several other tools, removing a panel and peering at the works. _Besides, who knows when I'll have time again once we build steam on tracking this demon down._

Heaviness collected in his chest, but he shook his head roughly. No time to dwell on Lewis. There would be plenty of time after they'd taken his murderer down.

The door slammed shut, clicking into place. Alarmed, he jerked up and pushed on the door. The latch was on the outside, of course. As was his bag. With his phone. And Aji was just leaving the kitchen with a carefully balanced tray.

_Fantastic. And it's tinted glass too._

He probed his jaw gingerly. He wouldn't put this past her. Irritated, he pulled out a flathead screwdriver and began feeling along the latch mechanism with it.

"You can't keep doing this."

He paused, lifting his head slightly. It was muffled, but he could hear Mrs. Pepper's voice. She must have entered through another door, he couldn't see her from his angle. He lifted his knuckles to knock on the glass. If he could just get her attention...

"I know it's hard. Do you think I'm not upset? But you can't stop talking. You have to practice with me. The change could happen any day now, and if you don't practice you could lose control and someone could get hurt!"

Arthur's hand froze.

"Dulcie, you weren't anywhere near Lewis when you sang. You aren't the reason he died. Should you have been singing without me? No. But that had nothing to do with his death. It's been a week and a half. Do you want to put others in danger?"

No response.

"You can't just be silent forever, that isn't how it works! Don't you think I've tried? Eventually it will happen, and the question is whether you'll be able to hold back when it happens, and you won't be able to if you keep this up."

Nothing.

"Please, Dulcie, do you have any idea what could happen to us if they trail any deaths to us? Do you know what they'll do to us? To you?"

A soft sob was the answer.

"You need to move on. We can't linger over his death. Now, take a few breaths and pull yourself together. I don't want to see you in his clothes anymore, do you understand? I'm packing them all in a box tonight. Tomorrow we'll go to the cliffs and practice, and you _will_ sing with me. I will not have human blood on any of my daughters' souls."

The kitchen door swung again, and there was silence. Arthur stared blankly at the cabinets across from the oven, trying to process all that he'd heard.

_I have to get out of here._

_No, leave now and they'll get suspicious. Get out of the oven, fix it, and then leave. Talk to Vivi._

_No, Vivi's got her own investigation going, can't talk to her until tomorrow. That leaves…_

He shuddered, but he'd have to face Mystery sooner or later. Maybe the mutt knew something. He wedged the flathead into the crack of the door, prying at it. The tool slipped and scraped all along the edge as he attacked the door.

Dulcie stepped into view, grabbing the latch and swinging the door open. Arthur held perfectly still, the screwdriver still in his hand.

 _Are you going to kill me?_ Can _you kill me?_

She stood there, her pigtails tied in Lewis' neckerchiefs. His shirt hung to her knees, barely held in place by his favorite purple vest he'd prided himself on finding. Circles ringed her eyes, and her head wobbled as she leaned on the door.

_Forget killing me, have you even slept in a week?_

Dulcie's knees buckled. The screwdriver hit the ground as Arthur reached out to catch her. He tilted his head away so he could breathe past the huge mounds of cotton candy pink hair. Little fingers clutched his vest, and he put his arms around her.

_Kill me? Who am I kidding. This is Dulcie._

He rested against the inside of the oven, keeping the door propped open with his foot this time, and held her as she sobbed. _It's not your fault. Whatever you are, you couldn't have hurt him. You'd never hurt him, you cared too much. It was a demon, not you. Never you._ He patted her head gently as she spent her tears.

When she finally lifted her head, her breathing was shaky, but her head didn't hang so low. She wiped her nose on her sleeve, looking up at him. She lifted a finger and put it against her lips.

Arthur winced. He had to be able to strategize with someone about this! He lifted his hand, forming a V with two fingers. Dulcie shook her head hard and pressed her finger to her lips again.

_I can't even tell Vivi._

Sighing, he nodded, putting a finger to his lips as well. Dulcie wrapped her arms around his neck briefly before climbing out of the oven and exiting the kitchen.

A shiver ran down his spine as a thought hit him. If this family wasn't human and had the capacity to kill, Dulcie wouldn't hurt him, but would Aji?

Would Kay?


	16. Little Talks

Arthur barely made it through patching the oven up. There hadn't been a single sign of moisture damage or food gunkage, and corrosion had been minimal. It hadn't been wear and tear that took the oven out of commission, it was sabotage.

Had Aji lured him there with busted machinery?

He'd left as soon as he could, barely remembering to grab the leash of his _other_ mythical problem on the way out. There was a pile of books, neatly stacked, on the ground about three feet from the booth. Duet had been by. Arthur dumped the books in his sack and headed for the door, barely acknowledging Kay's wave on his way out.

It took him half the usual time to get back home. His hand was shaking as he inserted the key and unlocked the door. Mystery pushed in ahead of him, and he followed, closing and locking the door behind him.

"I was hoping to start this conversation on an entirely different foot, but I see something has you fairly rattled."

The bag thudded to the ground. Even knowing Mystery was not a normal dog didn't prepare him for the second time he'd heard the mutt open his mouth and talk.

Mystery laid back his ears, wincing. "Apologies, but you were avoiding this, don't think I didn't see that."

Arthur swallowed, lifting his hands. **How much sign-**

"I understand you perfectly." Mystery hopped up onto the couch. "And if that gets to be too much trouble, type on a computer screen. Unless you prefer mind-to-mind contact, but something tells me you'd rather not."

Arthur shook his head vigorously.

"Understandable, given the circumstances. However, if you would allow it, it would be good if you could allow me even a little access. I might be able to mitigate some of the internal damage."

 **Could you possess me too?** Arthur's fingers shook.

Mystery tilted his head. "Could, or would?"

**Could.**

"Yes. I am capable of overriding your will. You'll note you retained full control of yourself after brief contact with me in the hospital room, something our mysterious demon did not allow."

Arthur said nothing, rubbing his shoulder at the connection point nervously.

Mystery glanced away. Lifting a hind leg, he scratched behind his ear for awhile, before setting it down and clearing his throat. "I'm… I didn't mean for…" He took a deep breath. "I didn't want that to happen. There was just no time."

Fragmented images of gleaming teeth and glowing eyes flitted through his mind. It was hard to accept that the same creature now sat on his couch, apologizing.

Arthur ran a hand through his hair before signing again. **You saved my life. Thank you. But it's hard to get used to you now.**

"I understand." Mystery stretched out, laying his snout across his paws. "No sudden movements and no mental prodding."

Arthur blinked, surprised at Mystery's sensitivity. Then again, he _was_ an acting service dog.

**Does Vivi-no you said she doesn't know. Why are you with her?**

"I'm sorry, Arthur, but that is not your concern. You may rest assured it is not for any ill purpose. If anything, it is…" he paused, as if searching for the words. "It is nice, I suppose, to be able to help in the way that she needs."

Arthur pulled up a rolling chair, turning it backwards and sitting. He set his elbows on the backrest and continued. **Do you know the demon? Do you have any information?**

Mystery shook his head slowly. "I can tell you that something smelled familiar, but I can't pinpoint the scent. I had a very bad feeling about the cave, but I thought I would be able to manage the situation."

Arthur's mouth turned down. **We all did.** **If I take you back to the cave do you think you could try the scent again?**

"I would be more than happy to try. It may be a good idea to bring Vivi, perhaps it would shake something loose in her memory. And this time I am prepared."

 **I will be too.** Arthur reached down, pulling his bag into his lap and unloading several books. **Not going to catch me off guard again.**

Mystery raised a brow. "Those will only get you so far, but study them if you will. First, though, what frightened you out of the restaurant?"

Arthur froze. He'd forgotten, briefly, the inhumanness of his best friend's family. He'd sworn silence to Dulcie, but Mystery had no one he could tell. **Mystery they're not human.**

"Oh, you finally realized?" Mystery lifted his head, ears perked. "Did you figure out what they are?"

Arthur gaped. **You knew?**

"Sort of. The only ones that smelled human were Lewis and Mr. Pepper. I don't know what the rest are, but I do know Mrs. Pepper smells of centuries." Mystery leaned forward eagerly. "Did you find out what they are?"

**Unbelievable. You're a giant something out of legend and you don't know what they are?**

"Excuse me for not having a scent database for every species on the planet!" Mystery grumbled, settling back down. "And that's Kitsune to you. And just because I am one doesn't mean I know every other paranormal being on sight and scent."

Arthur scratched his head. **Okay. Fair. Sorry. Mrs. Pepper scolded Dulcie for not talking. She said if Dulcie didn't practice singing that a lot of people could get hurt. Maybe killed. She said 'the change' could happen any day.**

Mystery sucked in a breath, his eyes lighting up. "Sirens? Truly? I've always wanted to hear a siren song, but there were only three in the world and nobody knew where they had gone. Mrs. Pepper is one of them?"

Arthur's jaw hung slack.

"The change, hmm. Mr. Pepper is most definitely human, and if their offspring are partial sirens it is possible that their abilities develop at a certain age instead of from birth. If Mrs. Pepper is training them to take care with their voices, then there is no ill intent." Mystery shrugged. "I do not see a danger in them, merely a desire to survive among humankind."

Rubbing his face, Arthur sighed. **A house without music. Right.**

Mystery nodded. "Of course. It must be torture to refrain from singing. Can you imagine having to hear music, but not being able to partake without causing the death of everyone in hearing range? They have remarkable restraint as it is. I am impressed."

Arthur's eyes narrowed. Lewis had to have known. He must have found out during the business with the cameras, and he kept it a secret.

And he hadn't told Arthur during the argument.

Arthur slammed a fist into the wall. "Damn it, Lewis!" he shouted.

_The smell of charred skin and the sound of screams. Flesh parting under his claws. A moan. A child with unkept brown hair and steely eyes. "You can't break me. They hurt me, so I don't love them anymore. This won't break me."_

"Arthur!" Mystery pawed at his leg, now on the floor. "Arthur, come out of it!"

Arthur stared down at him, mouth dry, his body shaking.

"You're white as a sheet. What was it this time?"

Arthur opened and closed his mouth a few times, before lifting his hands slowly. **I think I just saw Lewis before I knew him.**

…..

"And that," Chloe trumpeted, "is only the secondary fan theory about the Leafe knights' hierarchy!"

Vivi rubbed her eyes. She thought for sure she'd be able to outlast Chloe, but the girl had hardly stopped since she'd gotten there. The only peaceful moments she'd had were during the actual anime episodes, when Chloe gave her rapturous attention to the screen.

Vivi's watch gave an annoying blat. Chloe paused, glancing over at her. "Is that your reminder?"

Vivi shifted. "Yes."

"Ah, well, better go take your pills. Don't mind me, I'll just get the next episode set up!"

Vivi watched her friend lean forward to swap discs in the DVD player. Chloe's hand drifted just past the player, groping in empty space. Leaning forward, Vivi guided her over to the correct buttons on the player.

"Um, thanks. Still a little off." Chloe moved slowly, changing the DVD out with great care.

"Hey, it's been a couple hours since you checked the bandage, right?" Vivi hadn't actually seen the bandage Chloe swore covered her whole forehead, it was hidden under her hood with the rest of her face. "Why don't you go check and see if anything's seeping. Need to make sure you're in good shape for tomorrow."

"Right, can't disappoint the bossman." Closing the player, Chloe rose and picked her way over to the bathroom.

Satisfied with her diversion, Vivi tapped in her acknowledgment of the medication reminder. Without any information as to what had triggered her mass memory dump, she wasn't keen on reintroducing chemicals to the mix. Not until she had all the pieces back.

She clicked her tongue for Mystery before recalling he was with Arthur. Sighing, she hugged her knees. She could really use Mystery there. Chloe meant well, but it was getting more difficult for Vivi to hold her tongue.

Maybe she didn't have to. Maybe Pretear could wait. This was as good a time as any to try finding out a few things.

"Good news! All my brains are still in place." Chloe tripped, grabbing a chair to keep from falling. "Heh, bad news is, still can't walk straight. Think you can move the boxes tomorrow? I'll do the unloading, but I don't think I can lift a lot."

"No problem." Vivi held out her hand to help Chloe back down to the ground. "Don't suppose you'll ever tell me what's going on by now if you haven't yet, huh?"

Chloe tucked her hands into their opposite sleeves, ducking her head. "Duet doesn't want to talk about it."

"Aw c'mon. We've been co-workers for…" Vivi trailed off. How long had it been? "Years now. Not even a hint?"

Chloe shook her head, and Vivi shrugged. "Whatever you want, but Duet's not here, and what happens on girl's night stays there." She waved a carrot in Chloe's face. "Here, you didn't eat much. I can't keep all these veggies around or they'll go bad. Mystery doesn't eat them, and I like my salami sandwiches."

"Why do you keep a dog anyway?" Chloe took the carrot, chomping a bite off. "Duet says they're dangerous, liable to turn on you any second. There's other service pets you could get. Didja know they train service ponies?"

"Yeah, well, my apartment has a strict no-horse policy," Vivi deadpanned. "And good luck getting a cat to do what you say. I'll stick with a dog. You should really get to know him. I know Duet has a thing or whatever, but you never look as weirded out about Mystery."

"Eh, I dunno. I mean, I'm sure you have him wrapped around your finger and all, but dogs don't like strangers." Chloe kept her head down.

"Depends on the dog. C'mon, give Mystery a chance, yeah? Maybe next time you come over."

Chloe lifted her head, her glasses glinting under the hood. "Next time?"

"Sure! You didn't think this would be the only time, did you?"

"I didn't know. You never did anything like this before, I kind of wondered…" She trailed off.

"Wondered what?"

"If… you were just, missing Lewis. And lonely. And that's why you finally invited me over. I mean, it's been five years, and this is the first time."

Vivi wondered how it was possible to be gut-checked by an Otaku, and how horrible of a person she had to be if Chloe was calling her out. "Five years?" She managed. "Wow. That's, um… that's a long time. I really never-?" She didn't need an answer. Sighing, she smoothed out her skirt. "I'm sorry, Chloe. I don't really know what was going on, I'm missing a lot of pieces right now, but I'm guessing I was pretty wrapped up in Lewis. Still, I should have invited you over." _Even once… oh gods, I really am a terrible friend._

"It's okay." Chloe drew her knees up, resting her chin on them. "I know you don't like talking to me."

Vivi cringed. Was it that obvious?

"Nobody does. I wish I could tell them I'm sorry, but I'm not. When I talk about anime, things don't hurt as much. Things just feel better." Chloe turned her hooded features toward Vivi. "I could tell Lewis did that for you. I'm really sorry."

"You shouldn't be.I don't even remember him. I don't know what's going on, and I don't know why he vanished from my head, but that's how it is. So you don't have to feel sorry for me, you don't have to pity me, I'm doing just fine."

Chloe didn't move, and Vivi realized her voice had gained a sharp edge. She exhaled slowly. "Sorry. I… sorry."

"How long?"

"What do you mean?"

"How long since you took medication?"

"This isn't because of that!" Vivi snapped.

Chloe's body tensed. Vivi turned away, disgusted with herself. Just over a week without meds in her system and she couldn't behave like a civil human being. _Might as well go back to the loony bin. Hi, I'm Vivi, remember me? Is my straitjacket warmed up? Can't wait to see the padded cell. Here's my arms, I've tattooed entry points where you can find the vein nice and eas-_

Soft, gloved hands took hers. "He loved alpacas."

Vivi blinked, the anger draining away. "Huh?"

"Lewis. He loved alpacas and Sailor Moon."

Vivi snorted. "S-Sailor Moon? No way, I dated a guy who liked Sailor Moon?"

"You'd better believe it. I was his number one source for fan goods too. Nobody can deliver fan service like Chloe!"

"Pfffft, don't say it like that, you dork."

"Please, Vivi, it's pronounced 'Wee-a-boo.'"

Snickering, Vivi crossed her legs. "So, what else did he like?"

…..

_Thick. Dank. Dark. Fog swirls around Vivi's ankles, creeping up her legs. She tries to shake free, but her body won't move. Arthur, she remembers Arthur is nearby with Mystery. Her mouth will not open to call them._

_A musty draft flows past her, and it carries a mournful note. The sound calls to her, beckoning with wistful strings. The fog parts, and she is able to move._

_With no light, she follows the sound. The strings swell now, heavy with longing. What do they want?_

_Something flashes, and she hurries toward it. As she approaches, she sees it is a piece of paper. It gives off a glow, and she peers at the writing. There is a line down the center of the paper. On the right side are written names._

Teles Pepper

Timothy Pepper

Aji Pepper

Dulcie Pepper

Vivi Kimura

_On the left side are also written names._

Meynung Shiker

Arthur Kingsmen

Cayenne Pepper

_As she watches, splotches of black darken the left side of the paper. Flames lick at the edges, and the entire left half begins to burn._


	17. Deep Down I Know This Never Works

_"Aren't you a little old to be climbing the sycamore when you want to think?"_

_Kay rolled her eyes, not bothering to look down. "Aren't you a little old to be poking your nose in my business when I want to think?"_

_A purple-topped head popped into view. Lewis managed a nervous grin. "Yeah, well, what are big brothers for? It's kind of getting toward dinner, and you know Mom gets nervous if you don't show up and don't text and all. She phoned me. Um." He glanced down briefly, his grip on the branches tightening. "Little help?"_

_Huffing, Kay reached out a hand to help Lewis to a solid perch. "Honestly, you'd think you'd have gotten over the tree being tall by now. Mom can wait. She worries too much. I just want to see the sunset."_

_"You can see the sunset from your room." Lewis seated himself carefully, bracing himself against two other branches with his hands. "You only come here when you've got stuff on your mind."_

_"Yeah, maybe I should find a new spot. Half the time I get interrupted by your stupid face." She reached over, mussing his hair._

_"Hey, I'm going home to Vivi later, don't mess me up!" He smoothed out his pompadour and straightened his vest._

_Kay folded her arms around her knees, and Lewis paused. "Hey, Kay. Is that what this is about?"_

_Kay shrugged._

_"C'mon, Kay. Don't gimme that. You upset I moved out?"_

_"C'mon yourself, Lewis. If I was upset about that, I'd have said something a lot sooner."_

_"Then what is it?"_

_Kay watched the sun begin to melt into the horizon. "I heard Mom and Dad today. I think Mom had another nightmare."_

_Lewis stiffened. "Is Dad okay?"_

_"Yeah. He's fine. But when she came out of it, Mom was crying. She said he only stayed because he'd heard her voice enough times that he couldn't leave. He was telling her it wasn't true, but she said he wouldn't even know if he was in sway to her voice, so how could_ she _know?"_

_"It can't be just the voice. You've seen them together. Besides, I moved out, and I'm pretty sure I stick around to keep a certain three sisters of mine out of trouble."_

_"Yeah. So you say. Funny how your interest in music picked up sharply right after I almost killed you."_

_Lewis frowned. "That's called inspiration, Kay. Is_ that _what this is about?"_

_Kay shook her head._

_"Well then, help a guy out. I'm not in your head."_

_"I think I've started dating someone."_

_Lewis choked. "You-what? When? Who?"_

_"We went out last week, and again a few days ago." She ran a hand along the bark. "He's cute. And he's sweet."_

_"Again, who?" Lewis sputtered. "And why didn't you tell me?"_

_Kay eyed him oddly. "I didn't tell you 'cause he's nervous about it, and wants to give it awhile to see if this will work out. Which is also why I'm not saying who yet."_

_"But…. but…"_

_"But nothing. Whether or not it works out is between me and him, Lewis."_

_"But you don't KNOW any guys!"_

_Kay smirked. "So what are you trying to tell me about yourself?"_

_Lewis scowled. "Not like that."_

_"Exactly like that. Look, Lewis, I'm not stupid. I'm looking for someone who cares for me as much as you do, just in a different way."_

_"So why the think-spot and the whole spiel about Mom and Dad?"_

_Kay kept her eyes trained on the last little bit of sun. "I'm not putting major hopes on anyone right now. But this got me thinking. What happens if I find someone who's right? Whoever it is, it won't be a siren. It'll be a human."_

_Lewis' eyes widened as he began connecting the dots._

_"What if I hurt him, Lew? I'm good, but it's still hard. And what if I lose control one day? And even if I don't, is he just going to stay with me because I'm a siren and once he's heard me he'll never care about anyone else? I mean, Mom thinks so, and she's an original."_

_"I kinda doubt that's how it works," Lewis muttered._

_"But if it does? Then it's no better than putting someone under a love spell or something. I'd never know if he really cared about me or if he was staying because he's human and can't help himself. And he'd have to be told about what I am…" She rested her forehead on her arms. "I don't want to be alone. But I don't want to trap someone either. Or hurt them."_

_"Hey, Kay, listen to me." Lewis pried one of his hands off a branch, reaching over and laying it on her shoulder. His fingers dug into her skin as he said, "You're gonna find someone. And when you do, they're gonna want to stay with you because of who you are as Kay, not as Kay-the-half-Siren. Cayenne Pepper. That's who he's gonna love. Is it this mystery guy you're dating? I don't know. But if he's worth his salt, he'll stick by you when you do finally tell him, and he'll do it because he loves you."_

_Kay sighed. Lewis didn't understand, or didn't want to understand. Love and need could easily be interchangeable to a human under the influence of a Siren's song. Still, she appreciated his attempts. Smiling, she patted his hand. "I hope so. But you'd better get down before you hurl from being up so high."_

_"It was one time!" he protested. "Let it go already."_

_"Never. You usurped the oldest position, now reap the consequences of having three bratty little sisters."_

_"You're supposed to have my back against the two gremlins, y'know."_

_"Depends on the alliances of the day, you know that. Now scoot. I have to get back to Mom, and you have to get back to miss Bluenette. Oh sick." Kay stuck her tongue out. "You get that dreamy far-off look whenever I talk about her, am I gonna get that too?"_

_"Probably. Can't wait 'til I find out who this is so I can bug you as much as you've bugged me about this." He stuck his tongue out too, then eased out of his position, climbing carefully down the tree._

_Kay sighed, following him down. "Yeah. Me neither."_

…..

Kay's flip-flops slapped the sidewalk in a steady _flap-flap-flap_ as she made a beeline for Lance's shop. Arthur hadn't even acknowledged her on his way out of the restaurant yesterday, and he hadn't answered any of her texts. The oven was repaired, but he hadn't fixed the rice cooker she'd jammed up. Why wouldn't he answer her texts?

Kay dinged the bell, not even waiting for Lance's answer as she swept around the counter and through the back door. The radio had just started another song, and she could hear it up the hall.

_Hey little sister, what have you done. Hey little sister, who's the only one?_

She sucked in a breath and held it, knocking on Arthur's workshop door. "Arthur?"

The music didn't stop, but the door cracked open. Arthur peered through the crack.

_Hey little sister, who's your superman? Hey little sister, who's the one you want?_

"Arthur, can I come in?" She hugged her arms, rocking onto the balls of her feet.

_Hey little sister, shot gun. It's a nice day to start again._

The door swung wider, allowing her entry. His desk, usually covered with tools and projects, was now scattered with oldish-looking books. Mystery lay under his worktable, tail wagging.

_It's a nice day for a white wedding._

The door clicked shut. Arthur hadn't made a move toward the radio. He just stood there, watching her.

_It's a nice day to start again._

The song was burning her insides. It wasn't the most moving piece she'd heard, but it was still rhythm. Melody. A voice able to join harmlessly with music. She gestured to the radio, her body tense. "Can you turn it off? I need to talk to you."

_Hey little sister, who is it you're with? Hey little sister, what's your vice and wish?_

"Arthur, please!" Why wasn't he doing anything? Mystery barked from his spot, and she was shocked to see his ears laid back and his teeth bared at Arthur.

Arthur's eyes narrowed, and he clicked the lock on the door.

He knew.

Kay brought her hands up to her mouth, sinking her teeth into her fingers as she backed away.

_Hey little sister, shot gun, oh yeah. Hey little sister, who's your superman? Hey little sister, shot gun._

She hit a wall, sinking down to the floor and curling in on herself. She had to outlast the song. But then what? There would just be another song. No, she had to destroy the radio.

_It's a nice day to start again._

Exploding from her spot, she launched across the room toward the radio. The song was crawling up her throat, it had to be stopped.

_It's a nice day for a white wedding._

Her talons stabbed through the speakers, slicing through wires and mangling internal workings.

_It's a ni-i-i-ice d…. to st..t agai-_

She ripped it away from the desk, the power cord popping out of the socket. The warped song cut off abruptly as she hurled the radio to the ground.

Blissful silence. Beautiful, pure silence.

Punctuated by a heavy sigh from Arthur.

Her talons. Her talons were out, and feathers were poking through her skin. Just the tips, but there they were, in full view.

She couldn't look up. She had to get them back out of sight. How did it work again? Her mind was blank. Arthur was watching! She wrapped her arms around herself, hunched over. The song was still in her throat, burning. She gritted her teeth, trying to focus on soothing moments. Dulcie braiding her hair after a fight with Aji. Long flights with Aji over the wide, blue ocean. Her father getting choked up over her graduation.

Warm hands on her shoulders.

She jerked away from Arthur, finally facing him. "How. Dare. You."

Arthur blinked, raising a hand to her. She slapped it away. "You _knew_ and you _still_ played the music. I thought…" She balled her hands into fists. Her fingertips fit smoothly against the palms of her hands. It had worked. "Do you have _any_ idea what could have happened? How stupid are you? Do you have any idea how hard this is? How dare you!"

Arthur fumbled for his phone, but Kay pushed past him. "No, I don't want to hear anything from you! Tell whoever you want, you can't prove anything. And don't come near us ever again!" She unlocked the door, pelting out and down the hall. She nearly collided with Lance on her way out, stammering an apology as she bolted out the front.

She needed a flight, and she needed it now. Dad would drive her to the ocean. She had to get home.


	18. Friends And Lovers And Clueless Clowns

_"And you should have seen his face, Vivi. I mean it was red as a brick and he was pouring sweat, and I don't think I've ever heard him swear like that."_

_"Aw man, Squire, all the best stories happened before I joined your group!" Vivi laughed. "How come we don't do dare sessions like that now?"_

_"Because I can't afford the ER bills." Arthur made a face. "You wanna pay for my overnight stay? Be my guest, I'll down another Butt Joker."_

_"Bhut Jolokia,_ please _pronounce it right or I'll shove a handful down your throat," Lewis shot back._

 _"Butt Joker's a more appropriate name, do you even know what that_ did _to my intestines overnight?"_

_Vivi wheezed, clutching her sides. "Can't… breathe…"_

_Arthur smirked, leaning against the front left tire of the van. Vivi's big purchase turned out to be a boon to their business once they got it running. The last several months had been highly profitable, and the Mystery Skulls were becoming known in the city as the go-to group for haunting issues. They were on their way to check out an anonymous tip-off about a cave on the edge of town. Vivi insisted they take a detour to a lookout-point she knew of, but he was itching to get going. This sounded big, and if they could resolve the case, this could take their group to the next level. Sure, screwing around at the college with biomechanics was fun, but it was just too easy. He was just barely starting to scratch the surface of understanding the paranormal, and there was always more to learn with every new encounter. Nobody had ever mapped the laws of the spiritual realm, and their group would be the first._

_Arthur had a knack for seeing how things clicked and connected together, like moving parts. Determining the laws from observable patterns was his specialty. That and repairing the tech._

_Vivi applied the laws that they'd learned, using them to coax ghosts to their rest and banish low-level demons. She also managed the group's social media and case requests. The boys often deferred to her as the group leader and decision maker._

_Lewis managed the practical end of things. He filed paperwork on each case, balanced the budget, kept the spending in check, and made sure every successful job was celebrated with a new dish invented just for that occasion. He was the hotel-booker, the overnight-driver, and more often than not, the anchor that kept them from vanishing into days of theoretical discussions on ectoplasm and the effects of spirits on electromagnetic fields._

_They were the perfect team. Arthur's grin widened as Lewis made it harder for Vivi to calm down by poking her ribs. It had taken long enough for Lewis to finally work up the nerve to ask to live with Vivi. Arthur couldn't be prouder, and by all accounts things were going great._

Maybe now would be a good time.

_"Hey now, hands to yourselves, yeah? We're on a job, or we would be if someone wasn't keen on making goo-goo eyes under the stars. If I don't get to do that 'til I get back, neither do you."_

_Lewis snorted. "You know, Artie, I'm starting to think this mystery girlfriend of yours doesn't exist. It's been six months and I still don't know who she is. I don't believe you could keep a secret from me that long."_

_Vivi gawked at him. "Lew, you're kidding, right? You don't know?"_

_Arthur raised his eyebrows. "Wait, you do?"_

_Vivi clutched her stomach, nearly choking on laughter. "Got… to… be kidding… most obvious…. Squire…. really… Lewis…. so dense… how…."_

_Pushing his tongue into his cheek, Lewis turned to Arthur. "Alright, fine, so she knows. Even it up, who is she?"_

_Arthur reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, fishing for a photo. Handing it to Lewis, he grinned. "I think I found a real beauty, Lew. I know it's only been six months, but she's sweet and funny and she listens to me go on about my projects and… I don't know. Everything just seems better when she's around. I think this could go long-term. What do you think?"_

_Lewis stared at the photo, all traces of laughter gone from his face. "Hey, Vivi, Arthur and I need to take a walk, okay?"_

_Vivi sighed, checking her phone. "Fine, but you're on the clock. Tip-off says this place gets spooky activity close to midnight, I don't wanna miss it!"_

_Flashing a thumbs up, Lewis jerked his head and headed back to the road. Arthur trailed behind, his nerves starting to coil on themselves. Why was Lewis taking him off to talk privately? He couldn't possibly have a problem with-_

_Lewis turned on him, his mouth a hard-set line. "I'm sorry, Artie, but you can't date Kay."_

_Arthur took a step back. "Lew, that isn't funny."_

_"I'm not kidding. Don't date my sister."_

_"But, why?"_

_"Just don't. You're not a good fit."_

_Heat flashed up the back of Arthur's neck. "I think that's for her and me to decide. I didn't go telling you that you couldn't date Vivi. In fact, if I recall correctly, there was someone pushing you to start dating her. Who was that again? Oh, right. Me."_

_"Vivi's not your sister, and this is different. Trust me, this is for the best. I'm doing you a favor."_

_"No, you're not!" Arthur snapped. "You're keeping secrets, look at your hand!"_

_Lewis yanked his hand down from the back of his neck. "No, I'm… look, just drop it. Find someone else."_

_Arthur's shoulders rose. "No."_

_"Excuse me?" Lewis' eyes narrowed._

_"No. You don't have the right, Lewis. This isn't your decision to make."_

_"Arthur, I'm warning you-"_

_"Why?" Arthur demanded. "Give me one good reason! Do you think I'm going to hurt her? Do you think I'm gonna disrespect her religious practices? Am I not good enough? You can't just-"_

_"You don't know what you're getting into! I said no!" Lewis shouted, stabbing an index finger square in the middle of Arthur's chest. "If you wanna hang out, that's fine, but no more than that, you hear me?"_

_Arthur stared hard before crossing his arms and heading back to the van. "Fine. You're the boss. I'll go break her heart tomorrow."_

_Lewis winced, reaching after him. "Artie-"_

_"Whatever, Lewis. Vivi's waiting for us. Let's just get going, we have a cave to check out."_

…...

"That was probably the stupidest thing I've ever seen you do, and I saw you stick a fork in an electrical socket _on a dare._ " Mystery's voice was underscored by an ongoing growl. He paced back and forth, his tail stuck straight out behind him and his ears laid flat to his skull.

Arthur sat down hard in his chair, lifting his hands. **Don't even. I'm sick of secrets. How many secrets are there that could have changed what happened? Vivi thinks there might be a connection with Lewis and Shiker which is probably what he wouldn't tell me. Good going Lewis. Lewis is part of a siren family which might have explained why he yelled at me when I told him I was dating his sister. Good going Peppers. You're a giant fox which really would have been useful to know going into that cave. Good going Mystery.**

Mystery flinched, his growl cutting out into a sharp whine like he'd been struck.

Arthur folded his arms out of habit, but winced as it tugged on the shoulder connection. He let his hands lie in his lap instead.

Mystery sat back on his haunches, studying the floor. "I know. I've mapped out every other possible path I could have taken at least a dozen times. I'm fully aware there were alternate outcomes."

Arthur sighed, scratching the back of his neck. **It wasn't all on you.**

"You're right. You shouldn't have come angry. Lewis shouldn't have come with secrets. Vivi shouldn't have split off. But there is no changing it. And there is no changing what you just did."

It was Arthur's turn to study the floor.

"You should have let her tell you. Or asked her. Forcing her hand was the worst thing you could have done. In addition to putting yourself and all humans in hearing range in danger, you lost her trust."

**Why do you care? This doesn't have to do with the case. Or Vivi.**

Mystery's ears flattened again. "Really Arthur, sometimes you are exceedingly thick. Do you think, just because I can talk and have magic, everything I do as a dog is an act? Yes, dog treats taste terrible, and I can barely stomach the food, but I'm like any other creature in this world. I crave companionship too, and this little band is-was-all I had. And now it's smaller. What members remain, I care for their interests."

Clutching his shoulder, Arthur hunched over. He gritted his teeth, grunting. _Dumb dog._ Most of the time it wasn't so bad to mention Lewis or hear about him, as long as he didn't think about the fact that he'd never see him again.

No more late night jam sessions, arguing about whether Classical or Electro was the master genre.

No more Scoville scale dare sessions that nearly landed him in the ER.

No more planning their bright future as a trio of successful paranormal investigators.

_I was supposed to have his back and he was supposed to have mine. How did it end up like this?_

He snatched a book off his desk, flipping through it. He'd been poring over the pages since his fit the previous evening. What sleep he got was short, plagued by dreams of burning to death in green and pink flame. The demon was going to pay. As soon as he had it pegged, he'd send it back to hell with the most painful, torturous method of exorcism he could find.

"It's no good, you know." Mystery lay down. "Shiker's as common a demon name as Smith or John. Unless you have another descriptor attached to it, you'll have no hope of figuring out which one possessed you."

**I have to start somewhere.**

Mystery tilted his head, cocking an ear. "Maybe you should start by conferring with Vivi on her leads."

Arthur blinked, glancing at the door. A familiar voice greeted Lance, and the door popped open. Vivi swung in, beaming. "Hey, Squire. Mystery!" She bent down, scratching him behind the ear. "Duet dropped the books for you, great. Any luck?"

Shaking his head, Arthur signed back, **Shiker is a common demon name. Memory wipes are a basic power a lot of spiritual beings have. Can't match the runes from the cave with anything in these books.**

"Well, it's never easy at first. We'll figure it out eventually."

**And your lead?**

She shook her head, sheepish. "I got a little distracted. Chloe started reminiscing about Lewis. It was kinda nice to hear what a great guy I found. Didn't find out much about her, though. She won't tell me about her surgery, and I didn't get a lot of info on Duet. But no worries, we have another chance tonight."

Arthur tilted his head.

"You should'a seen Chloe, Squire. I had to work really hard to keep a straight face. At the end of our shift when Duet came in, she started going off on me about how I fell asleep in the middle of Air TV and how she would never be able to forgive herself if she let me continue in ignorance about the complex symbolism of the show, and that Duet would just have to do without her for another night. Just like that, she re-invited herself over. I've never seen her pull something like that. Duet's face was priceless, Squire. I wish I'd taken a picture."

Arthur smirked. **Duet's letting her?**

"I wasn't sure if he would, he tried to shut her down at first. But she kept going on and on, and she even played the guilt card about how she still felt sick, and she'd felt better with me. Now she's out in the van, waiting for me to drive us back." Vivi's smile faded. "I think that hit a nerve with Duet, though. Maybe there's something about the surgeries and Lewis? I don't know. At this point, I'm just going to poke at anything unusual and see what comes up."

**Sounds like a plan. Taking Mystery?**

"Yeah. Chloe's nervous, but willing to try meeting him. Don't say a word to Duet about this."

Arthur raised a brow, pointing to his mouth.

"Right. You know what I mean." She hesitated. "Hey, Squire, I don't put a lot of stock in dreams, but maybe you should try looking for a _Meynung_ Shiker. It cropped up in a really weird dream the other night-Hey! Mystery!"

Mystery was up on his paws, his fur bristling, his teeth bared, snarling. Mystery turned toward Arthur, letting out an extra loud growl, and Arthur's stomach curdled. Mystery _knew_ this thing that had possessed him.

"What's with him?" Vivi knelt down, smoothing back his fur and wrapping her arms around his neck. Mystery's tail lowered and his growls faded out. He turned his head to lick her cheek. "Calm down, buddy. Sorry Squire."

 **No. It's alright.** Arthur's hands trembled a little. **You have to take him with you?**

Vivi frowned. "Yeah, I could have used him to help calm down a few times last night. I'd rather not go any longer without him."

Mystery whined, looking back and forth between Arthur and Vivi.

Arthur shook his head. **Okay but bring him to visit soon. Maybe drop him here while you're at work tomorrow. It's nice having him around.**

Mystery whuffed, ears perking up.

"Sounds good. Thanks for looking after him."

Arthur managed a smile.

"See you later, alligator!"

Arthur rolled his eyes, waving her out the door. He checked his watch. Six thirty. Kay had probably made it home by now. It would take him about forty five minutes to walk to their house. Hopefully by then he'd have an apology worked out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, just as a heads up, this is moving up from the fanfiction rating of T (Teen) to M (Mature). Not for sexual content, but for other things in upcoming scenes. I will put trigger warnings (ones that are obvious to me) in the beginnings of chapters on FFnet and in the beginnings of chapters and in the tags of Tumblr. This is serious biz to me, and if there's a trigger I didn't cover or tag, TELL ME and I will tag it. We're going dark places (IMO), and if you don't feel you can read a chapter, message me and I'll give you a synopsis of what happens so you can continue if you'd like. No warnings for this chapter.


	19. Whistle Past the Graveyard

There had been no answer to his repeated knocks at the Peppers' front door. Either Kay was avoiding him or no one was home, and since Aji didn't come barging out to give him a black eye, he assumed the latter. The Pepper Paradiso was only a few minutes' walk away. She'd probably gone there to talk to her parents.

Which meant her parents probably knew. Maybe her sisters too.

His steps slowed. How wise was it to go walking up to this particular family at this particular time?

He frowned, shaking the thought out of his head. These were the Peppers. They'd always been good to him-most of them anyway. He had, however, been an idiot with his approach, and Kay deserved a huge apology.

Up ahead he could see the restaurant's front doors. Dulcie was flipping the Closed sign over on the other side of the glass. Arthur picked up his pace, waving to get her attention.

She spotted him, her head lifting as her face brightened. She gestured around the side and turned, darting for the back.

Arthur took a turn around the side of the building, aiming for the back door in the alley. As he approached, the door slammed open and Aji came out swinging. He jerked back, her fist missing his face by an inch. Her second shot went lower, gutting him of air. He reeled, trying to take a breath. She grabbed his prosthetic, twisting hard and releasing a shower of sparks. He screeched as the implant wrenched inside his shoulder.

She grabbed him by the jaw, yanking his face close to hers and hissing, "Do you think that stunt was funny? My sister came back sobbing. So much for trusting you'd understand. I knew you were full of crap. At least she sees it now too." Sharp points dug into his skin from her fingertips, and he struggled to pull away. "Feel that? Does it hurt? Breathe a word, type a letter, use your stupid phone to tell a soul. I dare you. I'll be right there, ripping your throat out faster than you can blink. I promise."

"Aji!"

Aji released him, turning to glare behind her. Mrs. Pepper stood at the door, Dulcie right behind her. "That's enough. Take your sister home."

"Are you going to do something about this?" Aji demanded. "Or are you just going to let him screw with Kay like that?"

Mrs. Pepper's eyes were hard as she repeated, "Take your sister home. Now."

Aji spun on her heel, making for the street without another word. Dulcie slipped out from behind her mother and scampered after Aji, pausing just long enough to hug Arthur before turning the corner out of the alley.

With Aji gone, Mrs. Pepper's posture dissolved into an exhausted slump. She leaned on the doorframe, eyeing Arthur. "I could use some help with the kitchen. It's been a long day."

Arthur rubbed his stomach, wincing. He was going to have another bruise by morning. He glanced at the street.

"Kay is gone. She went out with her father. Please." She stepped aside, gesturing inside.

_She looks like she hasn't slept in weeks either._

He ducked his head and shuffled in. The prosthetic sparked again, and he groaned. It wasn't responding. He'd have to take it off and work it over back at the shop.

"You know where the bathroom is. Go deal with your arm and face, I'll be in the kitchen when you're done." Mrs. Pepper closed the side door and headed for the kitchen.

 _My face?_ He eased into the bathroom. _What's wrong with my-oh._

Five small puncture wounds bled along his jaw and cheek.

Cleaning the wounds with soap and water, he sponged them carefully until they stopped bleeding. He pulled off his vest and shirt and started on the body harness that secured his arm, squeezing the buckles to unlock each strap. He checked the implant latches. One of the four was twisted out of shape, but if he could get the other three to release he could wiggle it off.

Once it was off, he laid it out on the edge of the bathroom sink. It leaked anesthetic and oil. _How long before the anesthetic wears off and it starts hurting?_ He flipped open a panel, wincing at the crushed and twisted mechanics inside. He'd have to make it a lot more durable, maybe experiment with a different metal or extra reinforcements on the inside. Shutting the panel, he scooped the arm up and headed for the kitchen.

Mrs. Pepper had stacked little styrofoam boxes in towers of five all along the counter. She had another one lying open and a pot tilted over it. Noodles spilled out, filling the little box until the last one slithered out. She set the pot aside, shut the box, and set it on top of a growing stack. Arthur cleared his throat, and she glanced up. "Hello Arthur. There's a bag over there for your arm." She nodded at another countertop where a large cloth bag lay. "Can you come help me? I'm almost done."

Arthur grabbed the bag's upper strap in his teeth and slid the arm carefully inside. He pushed the bag back from the edge and inched toward Mrs. Pepper.

She set each of the six stacks into a plastic bag and turned, handing one bag to Arthur. "Take this and follow me."

Arthur took the bag as Mrs. Pepper grabbed another two, returning to the alley door. Opening it, she sat on the top step and gestured for Arthur to take the spot next to her.

Cautiously, he seated himself, gesturing at the empty alley in confusion.

"Not all customers visit during our operating hours. But nobody leaves here with an empty stomach." A slouched form stumbled into the alley opening, and Mrs. Pepper rose to her feet. "Nobody."

An elderly man shambled toward them. His skin was like tanned leather, and he likely hadn't shaved in weeks. As he drew closer, it became apparent he hadn't bathed in that long either. Arthur held his breath, grimacing. Mrs. Pepper merely stood where she was, pulling out a styrofoam box, which the man received with the dip of a head and an incoherent mumble. As he shuffled back toward the street, another took his place. A woman this time, wrapped in so many jackets that Arthur could barely make out her actual size.

"Could you get the rest of the boxes, Arthur? And please bring your phone. I'd like to talk with you."

Arthur returned to the kitchen, grabbing another bag. Lewis had never mentioned his mom ran any kind of soup kitchen. It wasn't too shocking, but he was a little surprised. Then again, if Mrs. Pepper was some kind of ages-old siren, maybe she'd seen enough suffering that she wanted to relieve some of it.

By the time he'd ferried the food over, bag by bag, she'd already gone through the first and had started on the second. He pulled his phone out, flipping open the text-to-speech app.

**I'm sorry about Kay. That was stupid.**

Mrs. Pepper didn't look at him as she handed out another box. "So you do know?"

Arthur glanced at the near steady stream of people entering and exiting the alley. None seemed too interested in the conversation, but it would be better not to risk it. He caught her attention and made a gesture, tracing a line from the base of his throat up to the underside of his chin and spreading his hands out suddenly next to his mouth.

She nodded, turning to hand the next box to a little boy with his red, cracked hands outstretched. "So. What do you plan to do about it?"

Arthur blinked. She was awfully calm. **Nothing. I've never seen you hurt anyone.**

"Many ghosts you've sent to rest would claim they weren't hurting anyone either."

Arthur scowled. **Different. They're supposed to move on.**

"And you think a legend's time isn't past yet?" Her eyes slid to the corners to study him.

Arthur's jaw went slack as he realized what Mrs. Pepper was asking. Obviously, she saw him as the person with the most leverage in this situation. All it would take would be a single message from him to bring, at the very least, suspicion on the family. At worst, they could all be carted off and never heard from again. Even so, she hadn't threatened him like Aji, though she could. Instead, she asked him what her fate was, as if she had no control over it.

Arthur slipped his phone in his pocket, shaking his head. He wasn't about to answer a question like that in front of an audience. He picked up a box with his remaining arm, handing it to the next person.

They worked in silence together, handing out boxes until the food ran out, and the people stopped coming. Arthur tapped her arm and gestured inside, returning to the kitchen. Only there did he pull out his phone again.

**How could you ask me that? You've always been nice to me. Everyone in your family. Except Aji. And she's got a right. I'm shocked more of you aren't mad. The ghosts aren't supposed to be here anymore. You're just trying to live here without hurting anyone. Why would I ever?**

She leaned against a counter, and again it struck Arthur how very, very tired she looked. "It's only a matter of time anyway. It can't be helped. It's already started. Maybe if you told them about me and they took me away, maybe she'd spare my daughters."

Arthur blinked. **She?**

"If anything happens to Kay, Arthur, you have to tell the authorities about me. If I can even save part of this family…"

**What are you talking about? What's going to happen to Kay?**

"Please promise me!" Mrs. Pepper pleaded.

**No! Stop! Stop all the secrets! Secrets are what caused this to begin with! Lewis kept all his secrets from me! Look where your secrets have gotten you!**

She flinched, lowering her head.

**What's going to happen to Kay?**

She shook her head.

Arthur fought to keep from hurling his phone across the room. **How am I supposed to do a damn thing about anything when nobody will tell me what's going on?**

"There isn't anything you can do." She gripped her arms, curling forward. "It's wound all around you too. You're already affected."

**What?**

"Whatever happens, you will be part of it. You can't stop a god's curse."

**Just tell me! Maybe there's something we can figure out.**

"That is foolish thinking from a mortal who never even saw the face of a god!"

Arthur paused, eyes widening. **Wait.** **Back up. Gods exist?** He waved his hand to dismiss that question. Now wasn't the time to get into that. **I'm not telling anyone anything about this, but whatever is going on, seems like you're already in trouble. How are you getting out of it if you don't put your head together with someone?**

She gave a harsh laugh. "Just like a mortal, to think they could go against the gods. It doesn't matter." She turned away. "Go, Arthur. Do what you will. Spare my daughters what grief you can, enough is coming their way as it is."

Arthur stared at her, dumbfounded. He lifted his phone one more time. **Why did you ask me questions in front of people out there?**

She didn't turn around. "So you wouldn't be afraid of me killing you, or putting you in sway."

**Or are you trying to get caught?**

She half turned, a bitter smile on her face. "Perhaps a little of each. Leave, Arthur. Kay will be back for you to apologize to tomorrow. I wish to be alone now."

Pocketing his phone, Arthur grabbed the bag with his prosthetic and slung it over his shoulder, heading for the front door. It was dark out, and he considered calling Uncle Lance to pick him up. He shook his head, taking to the sidewalk. With this much on his mind, he needed a walk to clear his head. This was not the conversation he'd wanted to have, and now he had even more questions and nobody to answer them for him.

Maybe not 'nobody'. Maybe a little digging would be good. What had he picked up?

Something was going to happen to the Pepper girls. There was a curse involved, and possibly a god. Likely a goddess, since a 'she' had been mentioned. That would narrow it down. He'd have to make a trip to Tome Tomb the next day, see what Duet had on ancient goddesses and sirens. If Kay was up against something, he was going to find out about it. Lewis wasn't around to look after his sisters, and he'd want someone to step in.

_He would, wouldn't he?_

_Absolutely._

_Even if it was… partly my fault?_

_It wasn't my fault at all. The demon was the murderer, not me. Lewis would know that. He had to, he fell backwards! He saw me!_

Arthur bit back a moan. The look on Lewis' face in the torchlight. The horror and confusion illuminated all the way down to the bottom.

_He had to know._

Arthur lifted his head. He wasn't anywhere near his house. On is right stretched a length of wrought-iron fence leading up to an imposing rusted gate that read "Requiescat en Pace".

_Too much on my mind. Not paying attention where I'm going, great._

This was where they'd probably buried Lewis. They only had one cemetery after all. He hadn't been able to go to the funeral. Maybe…

He pushed the gate open, ignoring the screechy hinges, and headed down the path. It wouldn't be hard to find, probably. Fresh graves would still have flowers all over them.

He wandered down a couple of rows, shining his phone on the headstones to check the names.

_Betty Goodin. Dave Klein. Dorothy O'Connor. Ah._

Lewis' headstone was a beautiful piece of work, a solid marble slab with an alpaca in one corner and a spatula at the other.

_Lewis Pepper. Beloved son, brother, friend._

Arthur set the bag down, just to the side of the grave, and knelt there. Maybe he'd been too harsh on Lewis. Yes, the secrets had messed everything up, but Lewis couldn't have known what was coming. He'd only been doing his best. He probably thought he was protecting everybody too. Arthur's eyes stung. Lifting his remaining hand, he signed slowly, spelling out the words that required two hands.

**Sorry. Miss you. Don't worry. I'll find murderer. Promise.**

As he stopped, he felt two massive hands clamp down on his shoulders. Heat scorched the back of his neck as an angry whisper hissed into his ear, "I already found him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Easter egg. Grandparents lost to date included in chapter. I miss you.


	20. Remind Me of the Battle I Face

"I'm telling you," Chloe insisted, flipping tofu cubes in the frying pan, "After this, you'll forget that meat exists."

"And I'm telling you that you're a dreaming poptart yuppie," Vivi retorted, crossing her arms. "Some things are just impossible. A Vivi that does not love meat is a Vivi that does not exist. She will never exist, because I am Vivi, and I love meat, and you will never part me from my meat."

"So you say, but that is only because you have never had Chloe's world famous stir fry A-La-Honey!" Chloe switched to a secondary pan, checking the veggies and pushing them around. "Almost ready."

"Wait, don't tell me. Ouran High School Host Club."

"I'm rubbing off on you," Chloe teased. "But it's mostly 'cause I use honey as the secret ingredient. Honey-senpai would be horrified if I served you anything but cake and candy."

"What's the point of a secret ingredient if you tell everyone?" Vivi shot back.

"Who said I was telling everyone? You're the only one here as far as I can see."

"Well, me and Mystery anyway." Vivi leaned down, ruffling Mystery's head. He lifted his tail once and dropped it, still staring at the door. He'd been like that since returning to the apartment. "C'mon, buddy, this isn't like you," she muttered, massaging behind his ear. "What's got you edgy?"

He licked her hand half-heartedly before returning his attention to the door.

"Heh, yeah, Mystery." Chloe shifted a little farther away.

"Oh come on, you haven't even given him a chance yet."

"Well, let's eat first." Chloe turned the burner off. "Got some plates?"

Vivi pulled out a couple plastic dishes, grimacing as Chloe loaded them high with sticky, browned veggies and burned tofu cubes. "If this doesn't pan out, I'm ordering meatlover's pizza."

"I'd bet the next three anime series you'll love it."

"You're already picking all the anime, what kind of bet is that?"

"Fine, I bet three days' phone duty you'll love this so much, you'll take seconds."

Vivi raised an eyebrow. "Three days dealing with obnoxious customers who can't quite remember the title of the book but recall a scrap of the plot from a tenth grade class and expect you to know which one it is? You're on."

"Just a sec." Chloe sprinkled shredded cheddar over the top of both mounds and sat down, grinning. "Itadakimasu!"

Rolling her eyes, Vivi speared a limp piece of broccoli and stuck it in her mouth. Rich, salty flavor rolled over her tongue followed by a hint of honey. Chloe watched her expectantly as she rolled it around in her mouth, taking a slightly larger forkful of various vegetables and eating it.

Dropping her fork, she buried her face in her hands. "Syrup-licking son of a pineapple, I have to take stupid questions for three days…"

Chloe leaped to her feet, cheering. "Yokkata! Victory for Chloe!"

Mystery laid his ears back, growling lightly. Chloe cringed, sitting in her chair and drawing her feet up to the seat.

"Mystery!" Vivi frowned, swatting his side lightly. "Sorry, he's been in a mood all day. Usually that's my job. Don't know what's gotten into him."

"Heh, sure I wouldn't know." Chloe took a bite of her stir fry, watching Mystery.

Frowning, Vivi scooped up Mystery, holding him in her lap. "Why don't we try getting you two acquainted? You promised you'd try."

"N-now?" Chloe squeaked.

"Yeah, no time like the present. Put your hand out, but palm-side up. Palm-side down and some dogs feel threatened."

Chloe gulped. "I dunno about this, Vivi."

Mystery whined, wriggling in Vivi's lap, but she held him firm. "Come on, Chloe."

"Duet says you can't trust dogs," Chloe stammered.

"I trust Mystery with my life. He won't hurt you."

Mystery's ears perked, and he stopped fighting to get to the floor. Chloe gulped, slowly extending her hand, palm side up.

"Take off your gloves, he can lick your hand that way," Vivi said.

"N-no, that's okay." Chloe continued holding her hand out, tentative. Mystery whined, but nosed her hand briefly. He turned his head away for a moment, then replaced his nose to the tips of Chloe's fingers, sniffing intently.

"Heh…" Chloe giggled. "Does that mean he likes me?"

"Well he's interested, that's for sure." Vivi grinned. "Try petting him."

"Um, he won't…?"

"No, Mystery doesn't ever bite."

Mystery whined, his ears drooping.

"Aw, don't take it personally, li'l guy." Chloe patted the side of his face hesitantly. "Just, um. Not used to dogs."

"Here," Vivi grabbed Chloe's hand, laying it flat against Mystery's side, guiding it in stroking motions. "Like this."

Mystery's ears lifted fully, and his tail raised. Abruptly he jumped down from Vivi's lap, hopping up into Chloe's. Chloe tensed. "Um!"

"It's okay!" Vivi assured her. "This is normal. He's getting used to you."

Chloe gulped, making the same rigid petting motions. Mystery's tail wagged slowly. He stared up at Chloe, still sniffing. She relaxed a bit, ruffling the fur at his neck. "Heh, maybe not as bad as Duet says."

"What's he got against Mystery, anyway?" Vivi leaned back in her chair, digging into her forgotten stir fry.

"I don't know, he just says it's weird how Mystery's always staring at him. I can never get more out of him." Chloe shrugged. "Duet doesn't talk about much with me."

"Really? But you're cousins!"

"Are cousins supposed to talk a lot?" Chloe tilted her head.

"Well… I guess it depends," Vivi allowed, "But I'd think you'd talk more since you live together and all."

Chloe shrugged. "Not really. But it's okay. He gets me all the manga and anime I could ever want. I've even got some signed and some really old first editions from way back when." Chloe lit up. "Maybe he'd let me bring you over to show you sometime."

"That would be great!" Vivi caught her enthusiasm. If she could get into their apartment, maybe she could get some clues about the two of them from their belongings.

"I'll ask tomorrow." Chloe smiled. "This is fun. I'd push for a third sleepover, but I think Duet would nix it."

"Why would he nix it?" Vivi frowned. "You're what, 18?" At Chloe's nod, Vivi continued. "He really can't nix anything, legally. You're an adult, why are you asking him anyway?"

Chloe shifted, her fingers working gently along the edge of Mystery's collar. His chin hit the table, his tongue sticking out part-way. "He takes care of me. I mean, I can't really… it's just… it's the way it is."

"How come?" Vivi pressed.

"It just is. Hey, you're already done?" Chloe pointed at Vivi's plate a little too enthusiastically. "Want more?"

"Sure, but what about my question?"

"Not really up for that conversation. Maybe another time." Chloe smiled, picking up Vivi's plate. She glanced down at Mystery, now completely limp on her lap.

"Wow, looks like you hit his favorite petting spots." Vivi pulled Mystery off Chloe's lap, amused by his whines.

"Heh, maybe I can pet him some more later." Chloe walked to the stove, refilling Vivi's plate. "Meantime, we can get started on Air TV. Do dogs watch anime?"

"I'm sure Mystery wouldn't mind, especially if you keep petting him like that."

"Sounds like a… a pla…" the plate dropped from Chloe's hands, the food splattering all over her feet and the ground. She tilted forward, and Vivi dumped Mystery off her lap, darting over. Chloe had already hit the floor by the time Vivi made it over.

"Chloe!" Vivi scooped her up, patting her face. The hood had fallen back, revealing milky-white skin.

_Albino? Is that why she's always covered up?_

Mystery joined her, nuzzling up against Chloe and putting a paw on her arm. He turned his head to Vivi, giving a short bark.

"Can't… won't…" Chloe moaned, her fingers twitching, her breathing coming in short gasps.

"Chloe, wake up! Snap out of it!" Vivi fished in her pocket for her cell. She was calling 9-1-1 if she didn't get a coherent response.

Chloe seized Vivi's arm, clenching her teeth. "I'm not going back, Vivi."

Vivi paused. "Back where?"

"Back to the doctor. He's not a doctor. He's a butcher, I can't… Vivi… it hurts, all the time." Chloe shook like a leaf.

Mystery's eyes narrowed and he pushed his head under Chloe's arm.

"What are you talking about?" Vivi cradled Chloe's head carefully. "What's going on, Chloe?"

Chloe's muscles clenched, then relaxed slowly. She blinked, her glasses glinting as she shifted to a different angle. "Vivi? What's going on?"

"What do you mean, 'what's going on?' You just fell over and told me everything hurts and you can't go to the doctor!"

Chloe reached up, jerking her hood back in place. "Um, sorry. Duet says that happens sometimes. I kind of black out."

"Do I need to call someone?" Vivi lifted her phone.

"No! I'm fine. Sorry." Chloe took her arm back from Mystery and pulled herself up slowly. "Look, see? All fine. Sorry, Duet says I say all kinds of things, and he gives me my medicine." She steadied herself against the counter. "I think that's what happens. Guess I'm still not at a hundred percent. I… I'm sorry about the food."

Vivi glanced down. Mystery tilted his head toward the food, then looked to Vivi expectantly. "Yeah, go on Mystery." With no further encouragement, Mystery attacked the mess on the floor. Vivi stood, bracing Chloe and helping her slide off her food-stained shoes. "No worries, it's still being enjoyed. Wanna just skip the second helping and relax on the couch? I'll throw Air on."

"That sounds good. Thanks Vivi." Chloe leaned on Vivi's arm all the way to the couch, collapsing onto it with a groan.

"You sure you don't need me to call someone?" Vivi pressed.

Chloe waved an arm at the TV screen. "Just turn the show on. It gets better when I don't think about it."

Biting her lip, Vivi put on the DVD, returning to the couch to sit next to her friend. Chloe picked up commentary right away, drawing Vivi's attention to tiny details in the story and the foreshadowing they represented.

By the fourth episode, though, Vivi's eyelids began to droop, and Chloe's chattering blurred with the anxious cries of the characters on screen. Only seven more episodes to go...

…..

_Cold and dark, just like last time. Vivi can't move, and the violins serenade her like old friends. She doesn't know how she got there or who is playing._

_Like last time, the fog releases her and she follows the beckoning violin strains to a flash of light. A paper, divided down the middle with a list of names on either side of the left side catches fire and she watches the names burn._

Meynung Shiker

Arthur Kingsmen

Cayenne Pepper

_The music rises to a crescendo, but at its peak the longing note shreds across the strings, dissolving into a discordant rage. She covers her ears, but she can't block it out. Rosy flames spread along the ground, fanning out near her feet. Within seconds, the small patch of ground she stands on is the only place she can see untouched by fire._

_There's another sound. It's softer than the violins, and she can only catch snatches of it here and there, but it's definitely a child crying. It's coming from somewhere in the flames around her. She puts her hands to her mouth, calling, "Where are you?"_

_The sobbing only grows louder. There are words now. She can almost make them out._

_"...for what they did… pay…. they did… pay for….. did to me…."_

_As she braces herself to run through the flames, a bloodcurdling wail rises above even the violin. She knows this other voice. Somewhere in the inferno, Arthur is screaming._

_Vivi flings an arm out, bolting toward the scream-_

-she woke, arms outstretched, her mouth open. She shut her mouth, inhaling a shaky breath. That was the second time she'd had that dream, but this time it was worse.

Her glasses perched cockeyed on her face. She hadn't taken them off? Of course not. She wasn't even in bed, she was slumped over on the couch.

Sitting up, she lifted her glasses and rubbed her eyes. By the light in the room, it was already morning. Had they really passed out on the couch?

Yep, they had. Chloe was laid out lengthwise on the couch, her head in Vivi's lap, glowing away.

Glowing. Chloe was glowing.

Vivi jerked her head around to the window. The pane was still dark. It was night still. The light was coming from Chloe.

Vivi stared back down. Light shone brightly from under Chloe's hood, and a softer glow enveloped the rest of her body, muted by the clothing that covered every other inch of her body.

_Duet and Chloe both made sure I knew I had to leave a night light on…_

Vivi slowly reached for her phone, dialing the password to open it up and taking a few pictures. It was only one in the morning, Squire would still be up. She had to get word over to him. She sent the pictures to his phone.

A few minutes passed. He didn't respond. She glared at her phone. If he thought he could moon over Kay at a time like this, that codfish-faced turkey brush had another think coming. She dialed his number. Sure, he wouldn't be able to talk, but she could give him an earful.

The ringing stopped and she cupped her hand around her mouth and speaker, whispering, "Squire, get your butt over here. You're not going to believe what I…"

Screaming. Arthur was screaming. Even louder than the night she'd heard him at the hospital. Something bad was happening.

"Squire! Where are you?" She dropped the whisper, shouting into the phone. "Arthur! Gimme something! Where are you?"

The screams continued. A terrible crackling roared in the background, and the line went dead.

Chloe stirred on her lap, opening her eyes. The glow faded away as she sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Sorry, think I fell asleep. Someone yelling?"

There was a frantic scratching at her door. Vivi turned to see Mystery shredding the bottom of the door, barking insistently.

"Sorry, Chloe. Sleepover's cut short." She grabbed Mystery's leash off a tack on the wall, clipping it on his collar. "We gotta find Squire, he's in trouble."


	21. I Don't Even Know How I Survived

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT NOTE: TRIGGER WARNINGS for this chapter: Burns and burn descriptions. If you have trouble with graphic burn descriptions and related injury and can't read this chapter, MESSAGE ME with chapter number and title, and I will summarize the chapter for you so you know what is going on and can continue with the series.

Vivi could hardly keep up with Mystery. He strained at the end of the leash, half dragging her down the sidewalk, his nose pressed to the pavement. Heavy wheezing followed her, and she glanced over her shoulder to see Chloe staggering a few yards behind.

"Can… can your dog slow down?" Chloe called.

"Chloe, go back! I'll handle this, you're not in any sha-aaaAAAAAPE!" Vivi's foot caught on a particularly nasty crack in the sidewalk, sending her tumbling to the ground. Mystery paid no attention, yanking his leash out of Vivi's hand and bounding ahead. "Mystery, get back here!" she shouted. She struggled to her feet, yelping as she set weight down on her ankle.

_Perfect._

Limping after him, she tried to see where he was headed. They were somewhere near the Peppers' restaurant. Beyond that, there was no telling where Mystery was aiming for. She hoped he was headed for Arthur. He had to be, he was a smart dog, and he'd started scratching at the door as soon as he heard the screaming.

_What am I thinking? I can't pin Arthur's safety on my dog knowing it was him on the line!_

"Vivi-chan! Your foot!" Chloe had caught up. "I'll help."

"You can barely walk yourself!"

Chloe slung Vivi's arm over her shoulder. "I'll manage, what's wrong with Arthur?"

"I called him and he was screaming. Whatever's happening, he's in over his head."

Together they hobbled on. Mystery was out of sight, but Vivi could hear him barking. "For crying out sideways in a cookie bucket, I'll never catch up with him at this rate!" She pulled out her phone, hitting the Uber app. "No treats for a week, Mystery."

Within a minute, a driver pulled up. "Hey, you didn't specify an end location. Where you headed?"

Vivi climbed into the passenger's seat, and Chloe sat in back. "You hear that barking?"

"Yeah."

"Follow it!"

The driver gave her an odd look.

"Just go!" She rolled down the window to let in the rapidly fading sounds of Mystery's chase. Shrugging, the driver took off. A short drive caught them up to Mystery, still tearing full speed ahead.

"Yo, you gonna try and catch your dog?" The driver asked.

"No, just follow him, he's leading us somewhere."

The driver squinted ahead. "All that's left up ahead is the cemetery."

A chill ran down Vivi's spine. "Get us there, and floor it."

"No need to be dramatic, miss. It's literally right ahead." He pulled up to the gate.

"Thanks, we gotta…" she trailed off. A full half of the cemetery was ablaze in pink flame. "Call the fire department."

"What?" He peered at her. "Miss, you been drinking?"

"Call the fire department!" She pointed at the flames. "We have to make sure those don't spread!"

The man stared at the cemetery and shook his head slowly. "I see someone set a fire already, the grass is all black. There'll be hell to pay tomorrow, but no fire now. Miss, are you sure there isn't somewhere else you want me to take you? Somewhere you'll be safe for the night?"

Swallowing hard, Vivi exited the car, wobbling. Chloe slid out, grabbing her arm to steady her. "I'll be fine. Thanks. Have a good night." She shut the door as Mystery arrived at the gate, barrelling through. The hinges shrieked like banshees, and the flames dimmed for a moment.

"Chloe, do you see what I see, or have I gone crazy?" Vivi asked, clutching Chloe's hand.

"I see, Vivi-chan." Chloe's glasses reflected the flames. "But the driver didn't. It's just like Gantz, nobody else can see. What do we do?"

And then she heard it. Arthur screaming. Mystery plunged into the flames.

"Mystery! Arthur!" She pulled away from Chloe, stumbling toward the flames. "ARTHUR!"

The inferno faded some, and as she approached the furthest embers they extinguished. Wherever she placed her feet, flames expired in a puff of smoke. She tripped over a short headstone, catching herself on the palms of her hands. The screams were close, as was Mystery's barking.

Sudden darkness claimed the cemetery as the fire vanished all at once, and Vivi couldn't see anything. She crawled toward the screaming, wishing her eyes would adjust faster. "Squire! I'm here, hold on!"

"Vivi-chan!" Chloe called. "Vivi-chan, the fire's gone! Where are you?"

"Here, Chloe! Squire!" She had to be practically on top of him. "Squire!"

Her hand came down on something that wasn't grass. It jerked away from her, and the screams dropped to rasping croaks as Arthur's voice gave out. Vivi fumbled for her phone, switching to flashlight mode.

The phone slipped through her fingers. Everywhere she could see, his skin was black and peeling. Bone glinted along his fingers, all along his remaining arm, and through the split flesh of his left leg. His right leg bent in the wrong direction, and his blistered eyes stared unblinking at the sky. She clamped her hand over her mouth as she realized he had no eyelids left.

Mystery stood on the other side of Arthur, staring down. He paced back and forth giving a mewling whine. As Vivi reached for Arthur, Mystery leaped over his body, catching her wrist in his mouth. He gave a muffled bark, holding her hand back.

"But… I…." She stared down at the wreck of her friend. His cries were turning to great, hacking coughs that brought up mouthfuls of blood. "I have to call someone, I have to-"

"Little boy!" Chloe wailed, falling to her knees next to Arthur. "Little boy! No, not again!" She shoved her arms under him, yanking him close.

"Don't touch him!" Vivi shrieked.

Arthur coughed, spattering Chloe with blood. She wrapped her arms around his chest. "Don't go, little boy!" She buried her face in his shoulder, and her body began to glow. "Don't go!"

Vivi froze, her hand still outstretched to push Chloe off.

As before, the glow shone out from under her hood the most. It spilled out over Arthur's charred body and everywhere it touched, black, flaky skin returned to healthy flesh. He closed his eyes, and his rasping faded to broken whimpers. Chloe sealed her mouth over Arthur's for a moment, breathing out once before releasing. A black puff of smoke escaped from his lips, and he took in a deep breath of clear air. The glow from her face didn't reach past his chest, though, and Vivi could see far more damage that hadn't been touched.

"Chloe," she whispered. "Can you take off your sweater?"

"I… I can't." Chloe cringed. "Duet will get mad."

"Chloe, you have to give Arthur more… whatever you're doing."

"I'm not doing anything." Chloe raised her head. "I don't know what you're talking… about…" As she lifted her head, the light spread farther, healing more of Arthur's torso. "Vivi-Chan… what is happening to me?"

Vivi felt herself slipping into a numb place. _Time bomb,_ she thought to herself. _Anywhere from minutes to hours from now, there is going to be a full-on meltdown. For now, focus._

"I don't know, but whatever it is, it's helping Arthur. Your sweater is blocking it, please Chloe."

Slowly, Chloe reached up to her neck, pulling her cloak away from the red gem at the front. Grabbing the edge of her green sweater, she pulled it over her head. Soft light flowed off her arms, her neck, her face, bathing the rest of Arthur's body in a healing glow. Down to a simple black shirt now, she stared at her arms. Reaching up, she removed her glasses. Frightened gold eyes locked with Vivi's for the first time.

"Vivi-chan, what am I?"

….

_"Not again!" She bolted for the paddock gate, kneeling down by the crisped body that had been deposited on the other side. "You monster!" she shouted._

_The gargantuan skeleton turned itself languidly back toward her, rolling its orb from one eyesocket to the other. "Monster," it mused. "Rather uninventive. Surely you can come up with something more creative than that?"_

_She didn't answer, her attention already on the moaning child. "Little boy!" she pleaded. "Don't go, little boy!" She positioned herself lengthwise next to him, her body already emanating a soft flicker. "Hold on a little more!"_

_The skeleton tossed its head, grinning as the orb rolled about in its skull. "Do what you can to heal him again. Hope is such a toxically beautiful ingredient." It slunk off toward the compound._

_Her vision blurred and she shook the tears out of her eyes. There was no time. She laid her neck across his forehead, trying to build the glow brighter. Where was the herd? She needed them. Nobody was teaching her what to do, and she had to glow brighter to heal, or the little boy would die._

_She'd done it before, she could do it again. It just took concentration… but sometimes concentration was what made it go away. Ohhh how was she supposed to do this over and over? She just wanted to see him get better, the frightened little boy who came to wash her and give her kind words, even though he never got any kind words here._

_She didn't even know what she was doing, or how she did it, but the glow increased, slowly bathing the boy in light. His muscles and sinews knit back together, his charred flesh replaced with healthy skin. She placed her mouth over his, breathing new air into smoke-filled lungs._

_When the boy finally opened his eyes, she nearly sobbed with relief. "You didn't leave."_

_He cracked a tiny smile, lifting his knuckles to bop her nose. "It… it'll take… a lot more… than that."_

_She glanced up, her ears straining for sounds of the demon that kept them. He couldn't know that she had the boy's name. Satisfied he was away, she turned to examine him. "What is your name?"_

_The boy opened his mouth, then paused, a look of panic crossing his face._

_"No, you can do this!" She urged. "I know you can. You're strong. Let's start with something easier. What is my name?" The name he had given her the first time she'd healed him, the one he could actually pronounce._

_His brow furrowed as he reached after his scattered thoughts. "Chloe," he rasped. "Your name is Chloe, but… I can't remember… Chloe, he took my name!"_

_She pressed her nose to his forehead, whispering, "You have to remember. If you lose your name, you'll lose you. I've seen the others when he's done with them, please. It starts with 'L'. Don't think too hard, it's there. Let it roll off the tongue."_

_"L…" The boy licked his lips, swallowing. "L…." He looked up at her, trembling. He knew what would happen if he couldn't tell the demon his name._

_"You can do it. I believe in you." She nudged his forehead again. "What's your name?"_

_"Lewwww…..is…." He smiled, giving a short laugh. "My name's Lewis, I've got it!"_

_She smiled. "I knew you could do it. Hold onto your name, and he'll never take you down."_


	22. Just A Little Unwell

There was no comfort in the sycamore branches that night. The ocean flight had been short, but the song had been strong, and she'd expended the worst of the urge. Still, she needed to sort her thoughts. Dad hadn't wanted to leave her at the park, but she had insisted.

_"Dad, would you hate me if I accidentally put a human in thrall, like Mom talks about?"_

The look on his face cut deep. She hadn't waited to hear his response, slamming the car door behind her.

Huddled in the fork, she flexed her fingers, staring at the tips. Any minute now, Lewis would be by, poking his stupid face up to see what was wrong.

She pressed her forehead to her knees. Any minute now.

Any minute.

_C'mon. Please. Come tell me I'm taking things too seriously. Tell me it's going to be okay. Tell me I'll figure something out, please._

"Cayenne, your skills are needed."

Kay jerked out of her ball, grabbing a branch to steady herself. That was most certainly not Lewis' voice… not that she'd expected him to answer, of course. She peered down. There wasn't much of a moon that night, but she could make out a shadowy form. The voice was male, though there was something off about the voice. A faint undertremor in the tone she couldn't quite pin down.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"A friend, and one that needs your skills."

"A friend wouldn't say 'a friend' when I ask who they are. Get out of here before I call the police."

"Cayenne, Arthur is damaged."

Kay paused at that. "What do you mean damaged?"

"He was attacked tonight. By rights he should be dead."

Her grip on the branch tightened. "But he isn't?"

"No. It seems he had far more non-humans about him than he realized two weeks ago."

Her stomach bottomed out. "N-non…"

"Cayenne, please come down and talk to me. I ran all the way from the cemetery because Arthur needs you. He hasn't told anyone but me about what happened today, but I was also there when you showed your true feathers."

Slowly, Kay lowered herself from the fork, following the carved grooves down the trunk. Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she clicked it on. The blueish glow illuminated an angular face with ruby eyes that studied her intently through yellow spectacles.

_I have to be sure._

Standing on her tiptoes, she reached a hand up and scratched behind his ear. His eyelids fluttered and a low whine slipped out from between pointed teeth.

_The undertremor. Whines and growls in his speech._

"Mystery. You're a shapeshifter?"

He grabbed her hand, clearing his throat sheepishly. "Kitsune, but that is a specialty of ours, yes."

"How long have you known?"

"I've known you weren't human from day one. Siren? Only when Arthur told me. He had no one else he could tell. But please, all these are questions I can answer later. He needs you."

"What can I do?" She spread her hands. "I'm no healer."

"He has no need of one now. Another has already healed his physical injuries, but his mind is terror bound."

Kay's heart skipped at the mention of this other, but set that question aside. "Explain terror bound?"

"He was terribly burned by whatever attacked him. We don't know how long it had him, and we don't know what else it might have done to him. I tried to seek the answers in his mind, but he blocked me out. He's not acting like himself, he's…" Mystery's eyes shifted to the side. "The attack damaged his mind. Arthur suffered a great deal tonight, the sort of suffering that can do strange things to a person."

"What do you think I can do about…" she trailed off. "You can't be asking what I think you're asking."

"Cayenne, you're the only one he trusts who is also capable of-"

"No!" She spun away from Mystery, gripping her arms. "You don't know what you're saying! I've already sung the tiniest bit for him. It was only once, in the hospital. Just the tiniest song, and he was immediately asleep, immediately obedient. If I sing any more for him he'll… he won't have a choice! He'll be like a slave to me, body and mind! I can't, I won't!"

Mystery placed a hand on her shoulder. "Please, Cayenne. I wasn't fast enough, and he's already been through so much. He's lost in his mind, he needs a voice to show him the way back. There is always a blessing to every curse, and a curse to every blessing. I've been alive a long, long time. I never met a siren, though I heard the stories, and they weren't all shipwrecks and half-crazed sailors. Many tales I heard of ships guided through blinding fog or navigating impossible passageways, all guided by an entrancing song that told them the way."

"What if I kill him?" she demanded. "What if I can't control the song and he dies?"

"By the smell of you, you've been to the sea tonight. Not that I blame you, he was exceedingly thick earlier. I'd wager you've sung enough tonight that you have more control than usual at your command."

_Dad, would you hate me if I accidentally put a human in thrall?_

"Who else is with him?" she asked.

"Vivi and her associate, Chloe. Nobody knows what Chloe is at the moment, including herself, but she gave off a healing light when Arthur needed it."

"What about Vivi? If she's in range I'll have the same effect on her."

"Leave Vivi to me." Mystery tugged on her shoulder, turning her back to face him. "Does that mean you're coming?"

She dug her chin into her chest. "I'll guide him back if I can, but then he's on his own. I won't have anything to do with him."

Mystery sighed. "If you must. But please, time is short." He stepped away from her, crouching with his hands to the ground. "Vivi is ready to skin me alive as it is." His arms and legs lengthened, tails sprouting one after another after another from his hindquarters. He shook himself and stretched, fixing his eyes on Kay again. "Climb up and hold tight."

…

Her knuckles were absolutely going to feel this in the morning, Vivi decided as she brought her fist up against the dent in the wall for the fourth time. That was, of course, if she had any knuckles left by morning. She was definitely going to have a call from the landlord by then. She was already getting knocks on the wall from neighbors, but they were duly ignored. Something needed a lot of punching, and given that one target had fled and the other two cowered in the corner, the wall was the safest place to vent.

She didn't really _want_ to hurt anyone, but it was all too much.

The wall had streaks of red on it, and she couldn't feel her hand anymore. She switched to her foot. Her ankle had been fine since Chloe's glowing episode, so it was obviously fit to take abuse, she reasoned.

She observed her foot slamming into the wall repeatedly with a certain detachment, wondering how long before she broke something. It didn't really matter. Maybe she really did belong in the loony bin. No, she knew she did. After all, her last discharge document had been signed by her dog.

"Vivi-chan." The plea was barely audible, but just shaky enough to give her pause. "Please. You're sc-scary."

"Scary? Me? Do you want to know what's scary, Chloe?" Vivi turned on her. "Knowing for a fact that you can't trust _anyone_. Seems I trusted Lewis, but he's gone and left a hundred and one secrets without any leads. Oh, and whatever it was was important enough to snatch every memory I had of him. Then you're a whatever the heck you are, but hey, whatever, that's not your fault 'cause obviously _you_ don't even know because Duet's a tripe-talking snog boggler who obviously _knows_ what's going on and never told you! Arthur's the only one who's been straight with me since this whole mess came out except, oh, Vivi, I'm so sorry I forgot to tell you YOUR DOG RIPPED MY ARM OFF AND CAN TALK AND SHAPESHIFT! BUT LET'S NOT KEEP ANY SECRETS, OKAY?"

"Vivi….chan…"

"And hey, not that the dog could have told me this at any point. Not that he could have given me some kind of sign or hint or clue when he checked me out of the hospital. Not that he could have even told me calmly just an hour ago or anything. But no, he has to flip his lid and attack the one person who's doing any good to anybody right now!"

Chloe's hand drifted to the gem on her collar, and Vivi turned back to the wall, landing another solid kick to it.

"If he really was some kind of age old fudge-rippling moose-tracked kitsune he should know better!" she shouted. "What the snapping turtles does that turnip turning swampweed farmer think you know about that stupid gem you wear if you don't even know what you are?"

"He… I… it seemed… important to him…"

"He turned into a monster and pinned you to the ground, Chloe!" Vivi gave one last kick that missed the wall, landing her on her rear. I oughta marble the napoleon outta him!"

"Vivi-Chan! Stop!" Vivi craned her head to see Chloe cradling Arthur. Chloe's cloak had sufficed to cover him up for the ride home, and once there Vivi had found the baggiest shirt and sweatpant set she had to dress him in. Well, Chloe had dressed him. From the time they'd found him, neither Mystery nor Vivi had been able to touch him without him screaming. She'd tipped the next Uber driver an extra wad of cash to keep his mouth shut just so they could get back. Now he just stared at the wall across the room, trembling.

"I'm done." she stated flatly. "I'm done today. You take over, Chloe. You and Mystery and Kay, for whatever godforsaken reason he's decided to drag her into this. I'm going to pretend none of this happened, and maybe it'll all vanish by the time I wake up. Heck, maybe that's what happened to Lewis, I just pretended him away." She wiggled her fingers. "Poof, poof, poof. You're all nurses and aides, and I'm in wrist restraints. Ow." Her right hand wasn't wiggling fingers so well.

Chloe pulled Arthur tighter, sniffling, watching Vivi with wide eyes.

There was a scratching at the door and Vivi glared at it. "Go away."

"I have Kay. Meet us at the beach, Vivi. Take the van." There was a long pause. "Actually that's a terrible idea. You'll have to ride me, all of you."

"What, I'm so incompetent I can't even drive, is that it, furball?" Vivi snarled.

"At the moment, Vivi, I'm afraid you would run over things on purpose."

"Your point? No, forget your point. I'm not going anywhere. I don't care."

"Vivi-chan, come with us. Please, I don't know what I'm doing. I need help." Chloe's voice was gratingly close now. Too close. Vivi whirled on her, ready to slap the anime out of her.

Chloe recoiled, tears spilling from her eyes. "V-vivi-chan?"

Vivi's hand froze where it was. A few seconds passed, and it dropped to her side. Her head rolled forward and her shoulders slumped. "Alright, mutt. You win. Take us all to the beach."


	23. With My Name Upon Your Lips

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some more burn and injury description. Not as bad as last time, but still there.

Vivi rested her right hand lightly on the wheel of the Mystery Skulls van, her left hand clutching twice as tight to make up for it. She should have figured she'd be driving no matter what the furball wanted. The second they'd exited the apartment complex, Arthur had buckled to the pavement, moaning, while Chloe stood frozen in place.

Mystery had cut an imposing figure, admittedly. Twice as tall as her at the shoulder with a lithe build to match. Six tails hung limp as his eyes shifted up and down the street. Kay had already seated herself at the base of his neck, running her hands over his coat with a dazed expression on her face.

But neither Arthur nor Chloe could be moved to ride.

"This is your own fault," Vivi had snapped at Mystery, unperturbed by his size. "If you'd taken two seconds to ask questions instead of knocking Chloe down and roaring in her face, maybe we wouldn't be having this problem."

In spite of his protests, she'd directed Chloe and Arthur to the back of the van and taken her place as the driver.

 _Either he's faster than sight, or he's casting a glamour._ Vivi gunned the engine to catch up. His tails had disappeared far ahead of her about ten minutes into the trip. He was fast, but there was no way he could go unnoticed by the city. Even if it was-she checked the dashboard clock-three in the morning. Had to be a glamour of some kind.

Chloe hadn't said a word since climbing into the back with Arthur. Vivi checked her mirror. Chloe was still holding Arthur like a child clinging to a teddy bear in the dark. Meanwhile Arthur continued to stare ahead.

Vivi could already feel the swing shifting directions-gods, it had been too long since she'd navigated these without meds-and her thoughts begin to cycle over that night's damage.

_Chloe hates me._

_My lead with Chloe and Duet is closed off the second Duet hears about this. And he will._

_I'm probably fired._

_Chloe will drown her head in anime, wondering what she is her whole life._

_Lewis would be so ashamed of me right now._

Vivi's throat closed up on that thought, and she coughed to clear her airway. Lewis, who by all accounts was probably the most amazing guy a girl could ask for, who _had_ to know what a mess she was, but who apparently loved her enough to stick with her anyway. That guy. What would he think of her little fit?

"He'd be so disappointed," slipped out of her mouth, followed by a small sob.

"Vivi-Chan?"

Vivi swiped at her eyes, glancing in the rearview mirror again. "Yeah, Chloe?"

Chloe hunched over the top of Arthur's head, mumbling through his hair. "Do you think… maybe, I'm right? About what I said, before your dog…"

_"I know what I am!" Chloe grabbed at the large red stone in the middle of the collar she wore. "I'm a magical girl! Do you know what this means? It means Kyubey is real!" She tugged at the stone, and the front fell off. Inside nested a brilliant red sphere, burning away in its setting. "I just thought it was a neat piece that meant a lot to Duet, I mean, why else would he have me wear it all the time? But I get it now! He was just trying to protect me from the choice I made to become a magical gi-"_

_"Where did you find that?" Mystery's fur bristled, his jaws hanging open in an extended snarl. "WHERE DID YOU GET THAT?" He leaped at Chloe, his body shifting mid-air. Growing. By the time he knocked her flat, he was already the size of a small horse, and he kept growing, snapping his teeth just in front of Chloe's face. "Tell me or I'll rip your throat out!"_

"I don't know what you are." Vivi turned her eyes back to the road, trying to pull some kind of rational thought out of the mess in her head. It was hard. Everything was prickly and sharp in her guts, and she wanted to sit in a corner under a blanket cursing the world. But if she could pull up even a tiny bit… she'd put Chloe through more than enough tonight. "Until we find out, though, wouldn't hurt to think you're a magical girl, I guess."

Chloe sniffed. Vivi dropped her eyes back to the road.

"I'm sorry I'm scary, Chloe." Vivi's shoulders sagged. She clamped her mouth shut around explanatory words that squirmed on her tongue. There was no point in trying to justify it away, scary was scary. "I shouldn't have yelled and hit things."

If Chloe responded, Vivi didn't hear it.

The sky was a touch lighter by the time she finally made it to the beach. Mystery paced along the tideline, but Kay was nowhere to be seen. Vivi pulled up along the sand and pulled the parking brake. "Okay, Chloe. Mystery was absolutely the world's biggest jerk earlier and he and I are really going to have it out very soon. But until we do, do you think you can manage getting Arthur to wherever Mystery tells us to go?"

Chloe swallowed, her head wobbling back and forth in a bare nod.

Vivi stepped out of the van and slid open the side door. She reached toward Arthur, moving as slowly as she could, and watched his whole body tense. Withdrawing, she muttered an apology to Chloe, and stormed across the sands to Mystery.

He'd stopped pacing, his tails still hung low as he awaited Vivi.

"So. We're here. I assume we're here for a reason, and that you have a really fantastic story behind why you dragged Kay out here too. Where is she, anyway? Did she turn into a bird and fly off?"

Mystery snorted, covering his snout with a foreleg and coughing hard. He cleared his throat. "Kay has gone ahead to the cliffs. What needs to be done can be done most safely there, or so she has told me."

Vivi's scowl deepened. "What, exactly, needs to be done?"

Mystery's ears flicked back, his head pulling in close to his shoulders.

_Fudge mustache on a marshmallow, he's bracing himself. What now?_

"We are hoping to test the theory that Kay has enough control of her siren abilities to coax Arthur's mind back to a normal state."

Vivi's eye twitched. "Siren abilities. You… you mean she goes and sits on ambulances, right? And goes 'woo-wee-woo-wee-woo'?"

Mystery tilted his head, inspecting her. "Vivi, how could you possibly have come to that conclu-"

"I'M JOKING, YOU WALLPAPER JUGGLER!" she shouted, throwing her hands in the air. "WHY IS MY BEST FRIEND DATING A BIRD?"

Mystery flinched. "Vivi, now really is not the time. Kay is waiting." He glanced back behind her, and turned his head away. "Follow me." He padded ahead, allowing his tails to drag a trail in the sand. Vivi glanced behind to make sure Chloe was following, then hurried after him.

….

Kay sat on the edge of the opening in Catacomb Cliffs that her choice had led her to. She'd left a feather for Mystery to follow. A redundant gesture, likely. He could probably track her scent. Still, it was what a Pepper daughter did when visiting the Cliffs.

Waves washed over the rocks, sucking and swirling in little vortexes and dripping off the sides grooved deep by waters of a thousand years ago. Salt stung her eyes and settled on her lips. This opening was lower than some of the others, close enough for the spray to fly up from every wave. Her hair would be crusted with salt by the time she left.

She wished it would all boil away into desert.

Then, footsteps. Several of them, echoing in the passage behind her. The whuffling snort of a dog trailing her scent.

A fearful moan.

Her chest clenched. She hadn't gotten a good look at Arthur when Mystery had stopped by Vivi's apartment, but she'd only ever heard a sound like that from him at the hospital.

She stood to meet them as they rounded the corner, taking a few steps away from the edge. "Mystery. Vivi. And I hear your name is Chloe." Kay tensed. Arthur hung onto a girl she'd never seen before like she was his lifeline, and her arms wound tight around him as well. The girl had skin like cream and gold curls hanging in perfect ringlets from her head. Aside from the large bandage tied around her forehead, she was the most perfect girl Kay had ever seen.

And Arthur was clinging to her.

_It doesn't matter. After this, he's nothing to me. He can't be. I have to cut ties with him, and maybe he can live a normal life._

"Hi," Chloe mumbled.

"Mystery said you healed Arthur?"

Chloe nodded, keeping her eyes down.

Kay folded her hands together. "You must be an extraordinary person to be able to heal."

"Apparently you're extraordinary yourself." Vivi leaned against the side of the tunnel. "So, tell me something, am I the only human that I know? Just so we clarify for everyone."

"Vivi, please, don't embarrass yourself," Mystery warned.

"Me? Oh, excuse me, that's right. I am the only one right now. Calm the human girl down before she loses it."

Kay winced at the ragged edges in Vivi's voice. "Arthur is human. Lewis is… was…"

"That's right." Vivi slumped to the ground. "That's right. The guy who can't talk to me, and the guy I can't remember who's also dead. Human. That's great, Kay. Do what you need to. I can't deal right now."

Chloe edged forward. "He won't let Vivi touch him. I don't know if he'll let you, but we can try."

Arthur stared at her, but there was no recognition in his face. He could as well have been looking at the ocean as at her. She stretched her hand toward him, and he tensed, drawing back from her.

"Maybe if he lays down?" Chloe weaved, grabbing onto the side of the tunnel with one hand. "I can't hold him anymore." She knelt, pulling Arthur down and easing out from between his arms. Without her to hold onto, he folded onto his side, curling up.

Chloe stumbled back to Vivi and dropped down next to her, taking Vivi's hands into her own. Kay sat next to Arthur's head, just out of his sight, and laid her hands along the sides of his face. He let out a low moan, but didn't scream. Kay stroked his face, closing her eyes as she reached for the components of the song.

…...

_Blood. Sweat. The pleasing scent of burning flesh. The cries of the seared, writhing like a worm on the ground._

_**It burns. Everything is burning.** _

_Reaching a skeletal hand out to split the cracking skin further, reveling in the ensuing scream._

_**There's no coming back. I'm dying.** _

_Breathing the question by the worm's ear. "What is your name?"_

_**I don't know. It hurts. Let me go.** _

_"What is your name?"_

_**I don't know.** _

_"Who are you?"_

_**Stop. Please. End it.** _

_Great fanged jaws opening. Green light searing through flesh, through bone, seizing through to soul._

_**Stop.** _

_Tearing free the soul from its moorings. Licking the taste of life's last gasp from the corpse's charred lips. The soul struggles in cruel grasp because it still remembers who it is. Not for long._

_**Stop!** _

_Its defenses are too broken. It has been denied all it has needed for strength, fed only false hope and anguish. Experience flows into the gaping jaws like water, memories swirling around the fangs and draining down the throat toward the green orb. The more that is stripped, the smaller the soul shrinks._

_**Help him!** _

_The soul is released. It flops to the ground, a small pink blob. It lies there, flickering on the bare edge of existence. It is always amusing to watch them like this. They are so easy to command, knowing nothing. A curt call brings it scurrying. "Clean up this mess." Turning to the corner. The new child has been watching this whole time. Fresh flesh, a new soul to drain when the time is right and it is broken far enough. "Tell me. Your playmate is gone, now. Do you miss him?"_

"Arthur."

_**Lewis. What are you doing in this place? And is that my name?** _

_"It doesn't matter." The child cradles his crushed hand, watching the pink blob remove its own corpse, impassive. "He made the wrong choice. He deserved it."_

"Arthur."

_**Lewis, what is this place? Who is calling my name?** _

_He speaks past bruises, past a black eye and a mangled hand. The child is strong. This will be a refreshing challenge. There is all the time in the world. Some have needed more time and attention to be properly broken, but all have fallen. Always the same._

"Arthur. Come back."

_It is a vision. No, it is more than a vision. He can see it now, where his thoughts had merged with the memories the Shiker had left behind. He'd fled pain, but his mind was no safe place to flee to._

"Arthur."

_His name isn't being spoken, it is being sung. The voice knows him, knows his name. Knows that he is not the Shiker, and the Shiker is not him. They were memories, nothing more. How could he have lost himself when it is so clear who he is?_

"Arthur."

_The song is curling around his soul and winding through his mind, and for a moment he can almost see the way back. Yes, there it is again! The song is drawing him back, out of the memories of that creature and back to-_

Arthur came to with a start, his head between two hands, and someone's forehead touching his.

"Arthur."

He had heard his name spoken thousands of times in his life. It had been called affectionately across the street. Shouted in anger as he pelted down school halls. Spoken with stern disappointment more times than he could count. Never in recollection had it been sung to him, and in such a way that every cell in his body came alive with the knowledge of who he was. Deeper still the song pierced, and his soul itself unfolded within him, responding to her voice.

Her voice. _Kay_. He reached a hand up to touch the matted yellow curls, and the song abruptly cut off. She pulled away, and he flipped over, scrambling to his feet.

"K… K…" Terror closed his throat on the name, though he did not relapse into the vision. He swallowed, licking his lips and trying to get his bearings. Kay stood in the opening, facing out to the sea. He reached out to her.

"Go to Vivi," she murmured, her voice husky.

He blinked, turning himself right around. Of course he should go to Vivi. Why wouldn't he? It was the most logical course of action. It's what he'd been meaning to do in the first place. He stumbled over to Vivi and crashed to his knees by her, shaking his head. It felt weird, like there was a goldfish swimming around in the folds of his brain. He didn't like it.

It took a moment for him to realize there was something off about the scene before him. He wasn't sure whether he was more disturbed by the stranger with black and red hair cupping his hands over Vivi's ears or the pale glowy girl holding Vivi's hands.

Until the stranger with black and red hair lifted his head and smiled a rather tired, pointy smile. "Arthur, you're back."

Arthur's eye twitched. He knew that voice. He lifted his hands to sign the first in a series of questions, and only his right hand responded.

"Before you ask, or try, the other one is not salvageable." Mystery pulled his hands away from Vivi's ears. "I checked the rather fused lump of metal before I left the graveyard."

Arthur mouthed a long string of words pertaining to his feelings about that fact.

"You look like a silent cartoon, Squire." Vivi's voice was threadbare. She pulled her hands free from the glowy girls' grip, flexing the digits on her right hand carefully. "Thanks, Chloe."

"It's nothing, Vivi-Chan."

Arthur's eyes popped. Chloe? Chloe without her getup? Chloe _glowing?_ What the hell had he missed?

His shock was interrupted by Vivi grabbing his shoulder and yanking him close. "Get yourself half burned to death again and I will minx your boxing maskface, you seven-headed receipt of a truffle. Comprende?"

Arthur wrapped his good arm around Vivi, bewildered. _What does she mean, burned?_

Vivi released him, wiping her eyes. There was dried blood on her knuckles, that couldn't be good. And blood and ash on Chloe's clothing. And Mystery was shifted and talking in front of Vivi. And if his head didn't settle soon he was going to be sick all over someone.

"I think we should head back to my place and sort things out, if we can," Vivi said. "We only have a few hours before Chloe and I have to be back at Tome Tomb, and we have to figure out what happened, what's happening, and what to do about it."

"Vivi-Chan." Chloe grabbed onto Vivi's arm, staring at Mystery. "I can't… I won't…"

"I'm not about to be near her, Vivi." Mystery turned his face away. "I can't even look at her."

"Then you can sleep outside tonight," Vivi snapped. "If you can't be a decent whatever-you-are then you're not welcome when I have a more decent whatever-she-is to talk with."

_Ouch, Vee. Harsh._

Vivi took a deep breath. "Chloe. Arthur. Let's get back to the apartment. Kay, you're welcome if you want to come."

Kay! How could he have forgotten? He stood to his feet.

"Stay with Vivi, Arthur." Kay didn't even turn around.

He sat back down. Of course he was going to stay with Vivi, how could Kay think otherwise?

Kay glanced over her shoulder, clearing her throat. "I think, if you don't mind, I will stay here for a while. If you're so keen on disassociating yourself from Mystery at the moment, maybe you can leave him here and he can give me a ride home."

"Whatever he wants to do, I don't care right now." Vivi stood, pulling her phone from her pocket. "We should get back be...fore…" she frowned. "Squire, I got Duet's texts."

Arthur raised his arm in a gesture of bewilderment as to why that should matter.

"No, I mean, that bug we planted. I have his text history."

Arthur's arm lowered.

"Someone just texted him." She flipped through the messages. "This is the same number he texts every few months about what time to come in. Last received text…" Silently, she turned the screen so he could see.

**Your little secret isn't so secret. What did you think would happen? Collect now and don't pass go.**

Vivi slipped the phone into her pocket. "Change of plans. Kay, I'm really sorry, but looks like we need a little more help."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit to Tumblr user R5h for probably the best lines of dialogue in this chapter regarding Sirens.


	24. It's A Family Affair

Kay wasn't sure exactly when she put her arms around the girl with the bandaged head. The drive back to her house was long, and Vivi was discussing the situation with Arthur.

"We'll cover more info later, but right now the goal is keeping Chloe away from Duet. He's up to something. What kind of doctor has spy eyes on Chloe and texts Duet about it? I'm telling you, it reeks. And Chloe dropped in a dead faint earlier, said something about the doctor not really being a doctor but some kind of butcher, then blacked out on what she said."

Arthur, who had downloaded a text-to-speech app the second Vivi had handed him her phone, answered **You're swung.**

"But I'm not wrong!" Vivi insisted. "Chloe, you agree with me, right? Something's up? We have to get you to a safe place for now. You and Squire are obviously targets."

Chloe hadn't moved from her hunched position in the rear seat. "Vivi-Chan, maybe I am a plant?" came the thin response. "Maybe that's why the glowing and the healing?"

"Oookay we lost Chloe. Trust me on this, Squire. She's in a bad way right now, and if Duet gets her back we may never see her again."

**Keep saying healing. What healing?**

Chloe wilted, and Kay touched her shoulder, concerned. Before she knew it, Chloe was nestled under her arm, sniffling.

"You were burned, Squire. Real bad. Like, if-I-called-an-ambulance-I'm-not-sure-they-would-have-made-it-in-time and ain't-no-amount-of-skin-grafts-ever-fixing-that kind of bad."

Arthur's fingers fumbled on the phone. **Saw memories demon left. It burns people. Shiker attack?**

"Sounds like it. We'll have to compare notes, my dreams have been weird with flames lately too."

"I'm a plant," Chloe murmured. "It makes more sense than being a magical girl, and then I wouldn't have to turn into a witch. I'd just make light and energy for people. Vash was always hurting too. It makes sense."

**So you know. Mystery?**

Vivi gave Arthur an exasperated stare, running a red light as she took her eyes off the road. "Yeah, Squire. I know the furball's secret. He's trailing the van in all his six-tailed glory, in case you haven't noticed, and I'm not in awe. He kind of lost his mudskippers at Chloe and blew his cover earlier when you were still out of it."

**And Kay?**

"Yeah, Squire. I know who you're dating. Don't think that was the most desirable outcome for her, but she's why you're not in the fetal position right now." Vivi glanced over her shoulder. "As far as I'm concerned, you're my dead boyfriend's very normal sister who doesn't like music. 'Scuse my lack of tact, and believe me, I'll be over to apologize when I'm totally back."

Kay shrugged, focusing on the distressed girl in her arms.

**Thank you Kay. Sorry for earlier. Can we talk later?**

"No."

Arthur paused, then began typing.

"Don't talk to me, Arthur. I don't want to hear from you."

Arthur ducked his head, immediately pocketing the phone. Kay bit her lip. Had he done that because she'd said so, or because he felt bad about earlier?

Of course he'd done it because she said so. It would never again be for any other reason.

"Pull that out again," Vivi ordered. "We're not done planning. So Kay's got Chloe for now, and we're headed back to my place to intercept Duet. The story is that Chloe ran off while I was asleep. I'm in full swing, hysteria won't be that hard to work up. We'll say I called you for backup and we've been out looking all night. 'But Vivi, why didn't you call me right away?' Well, Duet, I figured I could handle it and I didn't think she could get far! Sob sob sob, bla bla bla. Sound good?"

**Yeah.**

"Definitely gonna claim exhaustion, oh dear, can't come in. Been looking for Chloe all night! 'Don't worry, Vivi, shop's closed tomorrow anyway. I have to find her.' Then we all get some much needed sleep, I get my head on straight, I probably come over to the Peppers begging forgiveness for all insensitivity because I can't shut my mouth right now, and we figure out where to go from there. You two better patch things up and be on speaking terms at some point. I'll need everybody's brains on this. Think you can do that?"

Kay shook her head. "Sorry, Vivi, but you're on your own after this. Meet in the house if you want, but I'm not in on this. Tonight should never have happened, but it couldn't be helped."

Vivi sighed. "Fine. If you say so. Find an anime for Chloe if you can, it'll calm her down. Maaaaan I would like to have brakes on this right now." She clenched and unclenched her jaw. "She gets all the apologies tomorrow. You too, Kay. But then we'll figure this all out."

**Starting to repeat.**

"Can't really do a biscuit-spitting thing about that right now, Squire, so why don't you just shut up and let me run my mouth?"

Kay had never heard so many words out of Vivi in all the time she'd known her. The remainder of the trip was a monologue, punctuated by the occasional reminder that she was going to apologize the next day and that they would sort everything out then. By the time they reached the Pepper residence, the sun was well on its way to reaching the early birds, and Chloe had fallen asleep with her head in Kay's lap.

Nudging her awake, Kay tugged her out of the van. Chloe clutched Kay's arm, practically hanging from it. Kay supported her to the door, focusing ahead. As she reached for the knob, the door swung open. Dad's hair was sagging. There were rings under his eyes and his mouth hung half open. On sight of Chloe, he shut his mouth, taking her other arm and guiding her inside.

Mom paced the living room, raising her head at their appraoch.

"Mom," Kay's voice trembled. "A lot of stuff happened and we have to talk. But this is Chloe. She needs a place to hide today."

…

"Mystery. So good of you to join us," Vivi drawled as Mystery slunk into the back of the van. Arthur had never seen him look quite so crestfallen.

Vivi peeled out of the Pepper's driveway, driving toward her apartment. "I have ten missed calls from Duet, I think he's at the apartment already. Before we get there, any deep regrets about your behavior you wanna get off your chest?"

A low growl was the only response.

"Didn't think so. Fantastic. Well, maybe you'll tell Squire behind my back and he can touch-type transcribe the conversation for me later, or something. Gotta work up my hysteria for Duet. Try not to rip his face off for wearing funny jewelry, okay?"

Mystery's ears flattened. "I liked you better on your meds," he hissed through his teeth.

Silence reigned in the van, the likes of which had not been heard for the past hour. Arthur shrank into his seat. Whatever happened, he'd never seen anything like this between them. Granted, he'd never seen them converse, but still.

Vivi nicked the parking lot gate on her way in and pulled in a good three inches over her neighbor's line. Arthur tumbled out, barely catching himself on the door. Mystery hopped down to the pavement and shook himself, assuming a flat expression and trailing exactly two feet behind Vivi. Her keys clattered against the building lock a few times as she tried to fit the right one in. Arthur intercepted her fifth try, sliding the key in smoothly and opening the door. Vivi left the ring to Arthur, wrapping her arms around herself and hurrying down the hall. Grabbing the keys, Arthur followed.

Ahead, her door stood open. He watched the realization hit, slowing her steps to a halt. She cleared her throat, giving one firm nod to him, before pelting for the door. "Chloe!" she screeched. "Chloe, is that you? Don't ever do that again! How could you-"

The three of them spilled into Vivi's living room. Duet stood in the middle of the room, facing them, his arms stiff at his sides.

"Duet! How'd you get in here?" Vivi began her babbling. "I'm sorry! Chloe ran off, I can't find her anywhere! I've been looking for hours, do you know where she'd go? Oh, tell me she just went home and you're here because you're mad she was cry-"

The door slammed behind them, severing Vivi's sentence. Arthur jerked around, the hair on the back of his neck on end. There was nobody behind, but the door was definitely closed when it hadn't been.

Mystery barely let out half a growl before a flurry of small, pink blobs swarmed him, rolling him onto his side and pinning him in place. He snapped, thrashing against them, but couldn't dislodge any.

Duet charged Vivi, his hand coming up to wrap around her throat as he shoved her up against the wall. Arthur took one step forward, his remaining arm hauling back to deliver a blow. His momentum was arrested by three pink blobs, each making a seething noise like crackling flames. His stomach turned. He clenched his jaw, swallowing back bile. Three more sped at his chest from the opposite side of the room, hurling him back.

_Where did they even come from?_

"I'm disappointed in you, Vivi." Duet's voice was flat. "Perhaps I shouldn't be. Your group was bound to investigate eventually, but I did hope. We were fond of this place. Somewhat fond of you.."

"What is she?" Vivi gasped, clawing at Duet's hand. "What are you doing to her?"

"Here's the wonderful thing about this, Vivi." Duet leaned forward, his eyes narrow. "I don't owe you an explanation. I owe one person one thing, and I can't even deliver that. So I can do the next best thing. And thank you so very much for making even that difficult." He threw her to the ground. "Consider yourself fired. Come looking for us again, and we will kill you. This is your one warning."

Mystery roared, bursting through the blobs as he swelled larger. Duet spun around, grasping the pendant at his neck and squeezing. It popped open, spilling a fiercely burning red light into the room. Mystery gave a wounded cry, crouching to pounce. Touching a finger to the pendant, Duet rushed forward and swiped his finger across Mystery's forehead. With a groan, Mystery slumped to the carpet, eyes shut and tongue hanging out.

Duet lifted his hands and began a soft, rhythmic speech in some language Arthur didn't recognize. His eyelids drooped, and he struggled to stand. The pink blobs crackled at him, pushing him down. The carpet was soft, and it was a warm room.

_No. We're in danger. I can't._

The danger could wait. Hadn't he already been through enough? Sleep. Everything would be easier to figure out on a full… night's...


	25. It's Complicated

"A-and the p-plants aren't r-really sentient for the most p-p-part. Th-the the the only ones that can think for th-themselves are… are…"

Kay sponged Chloe's face with a cool cloth, keeping away from the bandage. Any attempt to check it had been met with scratching nails and garbled speech. Mom had sent Aji and Dulcie to Arexmart to pick up Theraflu, then posted herself on the front porch in case any further non-human entities took an interest in their visitor.

"How did no one notice you were burning up?" Kay muttered, lifting Chloe's head from the couch cushion and replacing the squishy ice pack with a firm, fresh one.

"Inter d-d-d-d-dimensional b-beings… make power…" Chloe shivered, licking her lips. "It hurts."

If the fragments of information she'd gotten were accurate, this girl had thought she was human until now. Kay mouthed a silent thanks to her parents. She couldn't imagine that kind of shock this late in life.

"It's ready. Warm milk and honey." Dad waited for her to move, then sat on the edge of the couch cushions, cupping a mug in his hands. "Lift her."

Kay slid an arm under Chloe's shoulders and neck, raising her up. Dad held the mug to Chloe's lips, tilting incrementally. At first it dribbled all over her face, but a few drops made it past her lips. Chloe opened her mouth wider and the milk drained away.

Kay laid her back down, wiping her face clean.

Dad cleared his throat. "So. Arthur."

Kay continued wiping Chloe's face.

"What now?"

"Now I never speak to him again. That way he's not a slave." Kay peered at Chloe's bandage. A red ring stained the middle of it. That couldn't be good.

"Is that what you think I am, too? A slave?"

Kay didn't answer. How could she? Mom took such pains to not phrase anything into a command when speaking with Dad, but she slipped sometimes. Dad never hesitated to obey, and he never contradicted her.

"It isn't like that, Kay. I don't think your Mom understands-"

"And you would?" Her tone came out sharper than she intended.

"P-Pretty sing." Kay glanced down at Chloe, who wound her fingers around Kay's wrist, peering up at her through smudged lenses. "Pretty s-sing. Please."

Kay tensed. "I can't, I'm sorry. It's not a good idea."

"Please." Long white fingers kneaded Kay's sleeve. "S-stops hurting. D-didn't hurt when you s-sang."

Kay pulled her arm away, focusing back on Dad. "You can't know and neither can Arthur. I'll never know what it's like to be loved and know for sure that I'm not forcing that person to love me. I'll always be wondering, and if that's the case it's better to never try at all."

"And why can't you believe that?" Dad took her by the shoulders, his fingers digging into her skin. "Why can't you believe you can be loved, even if someone is under sway?"

"This is why you can't understand!" Kay jerked out of his grip. "You think it's about what you feel, but I can't know if even what you feel was caused by our voices or not! Dad, I'm not human! Stop trying to explain it like I am!"

"Sing… please…"

Dad's fingers flexed and he looked aside. "I think your friend needs help," he said hoarsely. "If she's already heard you sing, she's probably fine. Give me three minutes and I'll have headphones on." He headed for the master bedroom, disappearing into it.

Kay sank back down to the edge of the couch, Chloe immediately clutching her sleeve again. "Are you sure, Chloe?"

"S-stopped hurting. Never s-stops. Even anime. I j-just forget it hurts. You s-sang, stopped hurting."

Kay counted off the seconds, biting her lip. "Just a little longer. Dad has to be safe." She waited until she heard him knock on the wall.

But what could she sing Chloe? Her flightsongs were raw vocalizations. Her song to Arthur had been his name, to remind him of who he was. What could she give Chloe, when she knew nothing about her?

Maybe she didn't need to know much. Chloe was scared, in pain, and had no idea what was happening to her. She remembered what that moment had been for her, and the music that had accompanied it.

Kay smoothed back Chloe's ringlets, a half-smile lifting her lips. "I've got one. It was one of Lewis' favorites. Made him want to be a musician when he grew up." It had been years since she'd heard it, but she could still recall the opening bars as if it was yesterday. Her lips parted, the first few strains of Pachelbel's Canon in D rising up and out of her.

The trembling in Chloe's fingers stilled, and her little gasps settled into steadier breathing. Chloe closed her eyes, her death grip on Kay's sleeve loosening. Kay's eyes stung as she looped around on the first minute or so of the song, all she'd ever heard of the piece. Maybe Mystery was right, and maybe there were a few spare situations where her voice was a good thing, and not something to be feared.

Just thinking about Mystery made her feel less alone. She wasn't the only one hiding in plain sight. And now there was Chloe as well. Perhaps they all could help each other, surely Mystery had some ideas that could help her and her sisters.

A crack resonated through her skull. Her song cut off. She was on the floor. How had she gotten there? Pain burst through her head. A pair of sharp black boots crossed her vision.

"Duet, you came," Chloe murmured. "Is it true? Am I magical plant girl?"

"Don't worry, Chloe." The intruder's voice was gentle. Tender, even. "I'll fix everything, I promise. Let's get you somewhere safe."

Something on the couch shifted. Kay struggled to move, to cry out and warn her mother. Not the front door, the back. No one had been watching the back!

The shiny black boot whipped around, slamming into the side of her head, and everything went dark.

…...

Vivi stirred. Something kneaded a tight spot on her neck, massaging it with gentle fingers. She stirred under the sheets, a smile playing along her lips. "Well, good morning to you too."

_Good morning to who?_

She jerked upright, grabbing at the sheets as she took stock of the tired red eyes assessing her. Doctor M sat on a chair pulled up to her side of the bed, his hand hanging mid-air where she'd been a moment ago.

"Good morning," he droned, retracting his hand.

No, not Doctor M. Mystery.

"Yeah. Well. Right." She winced, rubbing her neck. It hurt like a high strung halibut.

_Duet._

"Mystery! We have to go!" She turned to swing herself over the other side of the bed, colliding with Arthur. "Squire, what are you doing in my bed?"

Arthur squawked, raising his right hand to shield his eyes from the light, blinking away sleep.

"Don't blame him. You both needed sleep. There was nothing else to be done." Mystery's voice was toneless.

"Sleep my foot! What time is it? We can still get to the Pepper house-"

"I already called. Chloe is gone."

"What do you mean, gone?"

Mystery's head sagged. "I mean Duet broke in and took her, according to Mr. Pepper. Assaulted Kay and ran with Chloe out the back. Kay is alright," Mystery added as Arthur tensed. "Nursing a headache and a bruise, but well."

Vivi's eyes narrowed. "Well we're getting her back. Duet's a danger to her, that much is obvious. Mystery, you're going to have to track them."

"They can go to hell for all I care." Mystery folded his arms across his knees, hunched over. "And I hope they do."

_That's it._

Vivi climbed over Arthur, marching around to stand directly in front of Mystery, standing tall in her righteous fury. "Now you listen here, if you think for one minute I'm going to keep allowing this fishbrained attitude about my friend-"

Mystery's head whipped up and he snapped his teeth together just close enough to make Vivi leap back.

"Damn it all, Vivi!" he shouted, his hands balled into fists. "After all the times I watch you fall apart, can I not have this one time? What would youdo if someone ripped Arthur's heart out and wore it around every day? You tell me!"

Vivi's stomach bottomed out. She'd missed something. Worse, she'd steamrolled right over details the previous day. She'd been so focused on Chloe and Arthur that she'd failed to ask her dog-no, her caretaker-why he had reacted. Mystery was comparing Chloe and Duet's necklaces to Arthur's heart.

 _He couldn't mean_ that _, could he?_

Of course he did. Every aspect of his body from the shoulders curled toward his chest to the cords standing out in his neck and the sweat breaking out on his forehead screamed out to her.

 _Slow. No sudden movements._ She took a step forward, kneeling in front of him and placing her hands over his. "I don't know, Mystery. I probably would have done what you did. So, since I skipped right over this part, how about you tell me why the necklaces are so important?"

Mystery's eyes flicked from Vivi to Arthur, who leaned against the wall, watching. His mouth opened, then closed, his eyes dropping down and to the side.

Arthur tapped Vivi on the shoulder, making a phone gesture with his hand. Vivi glanced around, catching sight of her purse in the corner and pointed at it. Arthur retrieved her phone and began typing.

**Not sure you can trust.**

Mystery dipped his head once.

**Me or Vivi?**

Mystery turned to inspect Vivi, and she shivered with the sudden sense that she was laid bare to something with a great deal more power than herself.

He turned his head back to Arthur. "You."

**Why?**

"A soul once possessed is an easier and more desirable target. Anything I tell you has the potential to leak far beyond you."

Arthur frowned, fidgeting with the phone as he thought for a moment. He lifted it again. **Already know you're kitsune. New info kitsune super-secret, or known info?**

Mystery paused. "It… it is known information, though not as much among humans."

Arthur's eye twitched. He typed deliberately. **What human is going to possess me?**

Mystery ducked his head. Vivi reached up, rubbing behind his ear. "Take it easy, Squire. I already read him the riot act without getting all the facts straight. Maybe there's something we don't get yet, give him a minute."

Shaking his head, Mystery sighed. "No, Vivi. He's right. And I know neither of you would take it." He retracted his hands from Vivi's and opened his mouth far wider than he should have been able to and reached into the back of his throat.

Vivi held herself very still as Mystery withdrew a small, golden orb, holding it between his fingertips.

"Hoshi no Tama," he whispered. "My soul."

Chills ran up Vivi's spine. Whorls of bright yellow mixed with deeper gold hues swirled across the surface, lines and curls of saffron chasing each other across the surface. "But, but they were red," she stammered.

"Whoever murdered the owners of the Hoshi no Tama corrupted the gems." Mystery replaced the orb at the back of his throat and swallowed, grimacing. His eyes dropped to his knees again. "I understand Chloe has no knowledge of who she is or what was done to her. But I have no way to know that she herself was not one who murdered one of my kind." His upper lip curled as he growled, "As for Duet, given his behavior, I would not put such murder past him at all. He seems fully aware of his actions."

Arthur passed Vivi, seating himself cross-legged on the floor by Mystery's chair. He stuck his head forward, looking up at Mystery expectantly.

Comprehension lit Mystery's face. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"Sure of what?" Vivi demanded. "Squire, what are you doing?"

Mystery hesitated. "I am capable of entering a human's thoughts. I have only done so once for Arthur, and he requested that I not do so again."

Arthur took Mystery's hand and placed it against his forehead. Mystery closed his eyes, and Arthur's eyes rolled back.

Vivi swallowed her questions. She trusted Mystery, she did. He wouldn't hurt Arthur. Her eyes drifted to Arthur's empty sleeve. Not unless he had to, anyway.

Mystery expelled a long breath, his eyes still closed. "Arthur mentioned flashes of the demon's memories to me, and that they might contain hints to Lewis and his childhood. It seems he had more while lost in his mind."

"What? Squire, you didn't say anything about this to me!"

"Vivi, calm yourself. Neither of you have sat down to plan properly for several days now, there have only been short meetings." Creases appeared in Mystery's forehead. "It seems those spirits that aided Duet have more to do with Lewis and the Shiker than we thought. Human souls completely drained of every memory and life experience. They are little more than commandable shells." Mystery's fingers twitched. "Arthur, you've started thinking in sign language. Better practice verbal speech in your mind so you don't forget. He wants to say to you that we're not ready to get Chloe back. Look what happened when we charged into the cave unprepared. Duet and Chloe are key to understanding more about Lewis and Shiker, but we need to prepare. I'm inclined to agree with him."

Vivi pursed her lips. She didn't want to wait, but he was right. "What do you suggest, Squire?"

Mystery tilted his head. "Arthur suggests spending a week preparing. He needs a new arm. He needs to study for information. You need to study to cast what we learn. We will be able to track Duet's movements and communication through his phone, so we won't have to search long. Also he asks why I reacted when Vivi mentioned the full name Meynung Shiker."Mystery pulled his hand back, inhaling slowly. "Because, Arthur, the state Vivi found me in was entirely owed to this creature. He was attempting to take my soul gem. No doubt he has found some vile use for them and is out collecting as many as he can." A growl underscored his words. "There are many Shikers, but I have only ever encountered one Meynung Shiker, the Mind Drinker."

Vivi rubbed her forehead trying to process all this information. "Mystery, you gonna catch me up on these visions of Squire's later?" At Mystery's nod, she turned to Arthur. "Squire, I'm gonna need you to go. I'm sorry, but I need to sort a lot of stuff that happened." She hesitated. "Mystery, is he gonna be safe? I mean, we found him burned to a crisp. That was the Shiker, right?"

Arthur bit his lip, shrugging one shoulder and nodding.

"Okay, your best guess is it was the Shiker. How do we keep him from attacking Squire again?"

"I don't know, Vivi. I barely escaped him myself. I lost a tail in that fight." Mystery shuddered. "Likely he's even stronger now. I'm no guarantee against him."

Arthur stood, putting a hand on Mystery's shoulder and squeezing. He turned to Vivi, shrugging and giving her a thumbs up.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.

He opened his mouth wide, mouthing words an exaggerated fashion. **I'll be fine.**

"You can't know that!"

Arthur shrugged again, jerking his thumb toward the door.

"But… but…"

He waved at her, walking toward the door. Vivi stared after him. "Do something, Mystery!"

"Like what? I thought I just established there's not a lot I can do." He crossed his arms. "Against the likes of the Shiker, I'm shocked I was able to save any of Arthur."

The front door opened and shut, and Vivi sighed, glancing back to Mystery. "So. I take it dog food sucks. How about some real food?"

Mystery blinked. "You're serious?"

"Well, there's not a lot in the fridge right now, but I'm sure it's better than whatever I've been feeding you."

"No, I mean, you're not throwing me out?"

Vivi raised an eyebrow. "Wow, you can be dense when you talk, you know that? Did you just hear yourself? Man, Mystery. Pull it together."

Mystery swallowed a grin, coughing. "I'll do my best."

Vivi's humor faltered and she cleared her throat. "Hey, Mystery. Do you. Um. Do you really think I should…" She glanced at her dresser drawer where she kept the little orange tube.

Mystery gathered her hands into his. "I'm sorry, Vivi. It's rare when I speak words I don't mean, but I did. The day I assigned myself to you, I said you didn't need medication and I meant it. Most would, but you have me. I've been doing what I can to stabilize you whenever possible. It was you who chose to take the medication, and I could hardly argue with you under cover."

Staring at his hands, Vivi mused, "Whenever you laid on me or nuzzled me I always felt a little better, like I was regaining control."

Mystery nodded. "Not all at once or you would have known. But in increments."

Vivi squeezed his hands. "I'm sorry about what I said too. I maintain you owe Chloe an apology, but who knows. Maybe even that will change. I'm sorry you lost… whoever you lost."

"I don't even know who they were," Mystery murmured. "I might know at the next gathering, but that is many decades away."

Vivi stood, pulling Mystery to his feet. "Well, for now let's get some real food in you. Then I need to look for a new job." Her phone blipped and she pulled it out, opening her email. Her shoulders sagged as she scrolled through the email. "And a new place to crash… better eat up, Mystery. I'll need your help packing. We just got evicted for last night's fiasco."


	26. Dust Off and Try Again

Arthur's first stop was his apartment. He didn't want to think too terribly hard about how he came to be in a set of Vivi's sweats and a tanktop that hung too loose at the chest. Best to change into his own clothes as soon as possible.

Burned, she'd said. "Burned to a crisp."

He probed his memories carefully as he exchanged Vivi's tank for his trademark shirt-and-puffed-vest set. There wasn't much detail he could recall from the time between entering the graveyard and awaking to Kay's song.

_That song…_

He shook himself. Vague impressions were all he could collect. Flames. Anger. A lot of pain.

The flames had been an odd shade, too. He could almost swear the color crawling up his arm had been-

His stomach turned violently. He inhaled several slow breaths, hoping to steady his innards. Best to not revisit that time at the moment. Maybe later.

What he did need to revisit was the situation with Kay. He had to get back to her, to ask why she was suddenly pushing him away. Because of the radio thing? If so, he'd apologize until he was blue, he didn't want to lose her over a moment of dumb frustration. Was it because she was a siren? But that wasn't a big deal! Probably. Not like she was a ghoul or a vampire or anything inherently malicious. If that's all she was worried about, he could set that to rest right away, and everything could go back to normal.

Vivi's worry about Duet and Chloe niggled at the back of his mind, but he set that aside. They didn't have to run straight after them. The chip in Duet's phone would track their movements and guide the Mystery Skulls straight to their location once the gang was better prepared to face Duet. Besides, Lewis would want Arthur to make sure Kay was alright first.

He would also want Arthur to be better equipped before throwing Vivi into another situation where they were out of their league. He shuddered. Arthur would never let something like the cave incident happen again, because now that he knew, it _would_ be his fault if he allowed another slip.

Swallowing down the hollow ache in his gut, he pushed thoughts of Lewis aside as he headed for the door. Vivi still had the van, but it was alright. Walking had been a good thing lately. It gave him time to work things out in his head, and priority number one was his apology.

Actually, priority number one was getting to Kay without encountering Aji. Apology was priority two.

Maybe encountering Aji wouldn't be too much of a problem as long as he was prepared. He wasn't half bad at dodging, he just had to see it coming. He just had to stall long enough for Mrs. Pepper to call Aji off. Maybe that's where Lewis learned that stern intimidation, from his mother. Then again, puberty had just been a great deal kinder to Lewis than him.

Arthur smirked as he reminisced. By the time the bullies had moved to more painful methods of repercussion for Arthur's technological self defense, Lewis had caught up to them in height and bulk. Between the two of them, they'd evened out the playing field. If upperclassmen ever caught Arthur alone, he just had to stall. Lewis was never far, and always ready to lend a set of fists and share detention duty.

_Damnit. Stop thinking about him. Can't breathe right. Focus on Kay. Apologize. Avoid Aji's fists._

He nodded to himself, climbing the steps to the front porch and knocking on the door. Immediately he stepped to the side, tensing to duck.

The door didn't open, but the front window curtain parted for a mound of cotton-candy pink hair.

He smiled, relaxing slightly. Dulcie. He knuckle-bumped the window, gesturing at the door.

Dulcie bit her lip, glancing up at the floor above her. She drew tear tracks down her cheeks with her fingers.

_I made Kay cry?_

With a sinking feeling in his stomach, Arthur gestured again at the door, ducking his head dramatically and mouthing **I'm sorry**.

She held up her hand for him to wait, vanishing back behind the curtain. Again, he tensed up. The last time she'd vanished, Aji had come barrelling out to greet him.

Cars passed behind him. A sparrow landed on the porch railing, pecked around for a few minutes, and left. He checked his watch-ah, he had probably lost that to the flames. Where had Dulcie gone?

The door cracked open, and Arthur started. He peered at the crack, looking for flashes of red.

No, yellow. Kay's fingers wrapped around the edge of the door as she stared out at him. Her eyes were puffy and bloodshot. Arthur reached for his phone-no, that was gone too. His eyes widened as he realized he had come without his phone, without a left arm to sign with, without even a notepad and a pen. How had he forgotten every possible method of communication left to him in his rush to apologize?

"Go away, Arthur," she said, resting her head against the frame.

Of course she didn't want to see him. How stupid was he? He should leave right away. He was down the porch steps and halfway across the street in the time it took for a stray thought to catch him.

_But I don't want to go away._

He froze, one foot in the air. He didn't really want to leave. He wanted to work things out with Kay. He was smart, he could figure out how to communicate. Twisting around, he set his foot back down and climbed the steps again.

Kay hadn't closed the door. She had been watching him. There was an ice pack pressed to the side of her face, and heat flashed up the back of his skull. Duet would get a lot more than a simple shock for hurting Kay when they did finally track him down. Arthur reached toward her, wanting to pry the ice pack away and see the damage.

"Go. Away."

He was an idiot to think just wanting to fix things would fix things. There was no resolution to the damage he had caused. He'd forced Kay into a situation she wasn't ready to face. Of course she would have told him eventually. Of course she wouldn't have kept it a secret forever. But he'd gone and ruined it. Only an idiot would think showing up on her doorstep and flailing with one hand would be enough to remedy the situation.

He was across the street. When did that happen? He wasn't ready to give up yet! He didn't want to go away! He turned again, hurrying back up the steps. He probably looked like an idiot, running away every time she said to leave and then coming back.

"Arthur." She was on the porch now, wringing the melted ice pack. The side of her face was puffy. He didn't even want to know what Lewis would have done if he'd been here to see it. "Go home."

It was over. He'd screwed up that badly. No more muted Mario Kart sessions. No more secret winks behind Lewis' back or stolen kisses when he wasn't looking. No late evening talks on the park bench. Served him right. He'd never run his fingers through her curls again or hear her mumble about how much of a mess it was. She was so wrong, her hair was beautiful and smelled like the sea, and she was glorious. Always kind to him, laughing at his jokes and poking at his projects, pushing him to explain things in layman's terms so she could understand what he was working on. Touching his arm. His shoulder. His face. No more. She wanted him out of her life and that was that.

He blinked. He was staring at his front door.

_How the hell?_

He turned around, lowered his head, and ran. What was _wrong_ with him? It was one thing to chicken out _before_ facing someone, but three times in the middle of it? He was setting an all time record for cowardice today. But he would not let it win.

_How did I end up all the way back at my house and not even realize it?_

There it was, up ahead. The Peppers' porch. Kay was standing at the top of the steps now, and her shoulders were shaking. He could hear her groans, short and fast, from halfway up the street.

_Something's not right. There's a pattern here._

His feet pounded the pavement as she lifted her head, her face twisting as she opened her mouth. "Arthur, don't-"

He threw out a hand to stop her, throwing his pell-pell sprint off-balance and sending him crashing knees-first into the porch steps. Biting his lip, he swallowed back the yelp, sure he'd be feeling that for the next couple of days.

"Stop it!" she shrieked, backing away. "Just stop it!"

Stop what? Whatever it was, he would stop, all she had to do was say the word!

_Say the word. Oh. That's it._

His mouth dropped open. She hid her face behind her hands, taking a deep breath. Whatever she was going to say he had to stop her before she said it, or he'd never get another chance. He waved his hand frantically, touching his chest, his mouth, opening and closing his hand. She had to hear him out!

_Hear what? I can't say anything!_

"What do you want from me?" Kay shrieked. "You know! You get it, so just-"

He slammed his fist on the porch, startling her into silence. That sentence would not be completed. Not if he could help it. Pulling himself to his feet, he mounted the steps.

"Stop there!"

His feet froze where they were. Now that he understood, he could see the split. The desire to go to Kay at war with the intruding impulse to stop and come no closer. But he couldn't override the impulse. Being aware of it did nothing.

_"Go away" didn't prevent me from coming back after I had left. I can find loopholes._

He sank to his knees where he was, stretching his arm out to her.

She took a step back. "This isn't real, you know." Her voice cracked and her cheeks shone with tears. "None of this is real. This is all because you heard me sing. That's all. You just think you like me."

_Not true!_

"And you'll do anything I say as long as I live. That's just how it is. I tried," she gulped air, "I'm sorry. Now you know, so you know why I have to send you away."

 _Kay! Don't!_ He wracked his mind. It hadn't always been like this! Kay had told him things before and he hadn't blindly obeyed. He'd felt for her before now too! When was the first time? When had he first thought it might be more than just dating?

_Gotcha._

He rose back to his feet, putting a finger to his lips. Abruptly, he swept into a waist-deep bow, then straightened and held his hand out to her again.

She stared at him, likely questioning his sanity.

_Hah. You think I'm crazy now._

Hooking the outstretched arm slightly, he took two measured steps back and two measured steps forward. Two steps back, two steps forward.

 **Come on, Kay** _,_ he mouthed, **it's easy. One two back, one two forward.** He closed his eyes, recalling the startled expression on her face when he'd grabbed her hand and pulled her along.

 _"Rhythm without music?"_ Her awe had been amusing at the time. Now the thought of her shock hurt. She couldn't even find her own loopholes, trapped by her abilities.

 **You just can't listen to music. Nobody said anything about dancing.** He mouthed his old response. **And you step back, and spin, two, three, spin-to-me. Gotcha!** He hugged his arm closer, still leaving a space and spinning in place with it. It had been the first time she'd kissed him on the lips. Beautiful, bookish, secretive Kay had kissed him full on the mouth, and everything stopped for those few moments.

 **I love you,** he mouthed in sync with his past. It had been his initiative. Kay couldn't have induced it, not back then. And if she couldn't have then, how could she now?

His feet carried him right up to the point where Kay had said to stop, and no further. He reached out again. _Please._

She gripped her arms like she would fly apart if she didn't hold tight enough, hunched forward. Straining as far as he could, he brushed the flyaway curls with his fingertips. With a low cry, she lurched forward, wrapping her arms around his waist. He curled his arm around her head, breathing silent thanks.

"Y-you can't be happy with me. You won't be, it's not… it's not what happens."

 _Oh gods, Kay, why are you so afraid?_ He held her tighter, nuzzling the side of her face. At her cry, he pulled back. _Stupid, Arthur. Don't press on the bruise._ He traced the puffy side of her face with cautious fingers.

"I'm o-okay. I'll be fine." She grabbed his hand, her fingers winding tightly through his. "But Arthur, you don't get it, you'll never be-"

He leaned forward, cutting off her sentence with a kiss. _Happy? That's for me to figure out. Free? I know you. I trust you. You wouldn't hurt me if you could help it. I love you. Gods, what I wouldn't give to be able to talk._

Kay pulled back, laughing weakly. "You know, you interrupt a lot more now than you did when you could talk."

Arthur snorted, grinning a cheeky grin. His smile vanished at the sound of crashing from inside the house, followed by Aji cursing and another crash.

Kay's shoulders drooped. "I, um. I think maybe you should go. Please," she added quickly. "I'll come see you later."

Arthur lifted his hand, extending the little finger and raising an eyebrow questioningly.

Kay smiled. "Pinky swear."

The window above shattered, raining down glass bits onto the sidewalk and porch. Both ducked, shielding their faces from the fallout. Arthur backed down the steps as Kay headed for the front door.

"Murderer!" Aji screamed out the window. "Get the hell away from my sister! I'll kill you! You hear me, Arthur Kingsmen? I know where you live! I'll burn your building to the ground!"

His skin crawled at the sound of her voice. Aji was getting a lot scarier lately. He sprinted back up the street, wondering if it was possible to get a restraining order on just _one_ of the Pepper family without losing the ability to visit the rest of them.

…...

Kay rushed toward the stairs. Dad was already on the phone, trying to calm someone on the other end down.

"No, no one died. Very sorry Mrs. Mudds, we'll get the glass cleaned up off the sidewalk right away. No, no need to call the police, we're just having a spat. Not that kind of spat, of course, but..."

She took the steps two at a time until she reached the top, swinging around the bannister toward Aji's open door.

Mom was already there, her arms wrapped tight around Aji. Aji's mirror lay in shards all over the carpet. There was a large hole in the window and blood on the glass. Aji kicked out, struggling in Mom's grip. "Let go! Let me rip him open! He killed Lewis, why don't any of you care?"

"Please, not yet." Mom's eyes were closed and she dragged Aji back from the window. "Please. More time, I want more time."

"Let go!" Aji jerked her head back, bashing her head into Mom's face. Mom held tighter, lifting Aji off the ground and hauling her past Kay into the hall.

"This is your fault! Traitor!" Aji screamed at Kay. "I won't forget what happened to Lewis. Even if everyone else does, I'll never forget! I'll do what you won't! You just wait, Arthur Kingsmen is a dead man walking!"


	27. Say What You Mean To Say

"So this is your answer? We just take over Tome Tome?" Mystery eyed Vivi's makeshift book-bed with skepticism. "Don't you have to have a license to operate a business? Papers? Access to the purchasing bank account? Not that I'm an expert on running businesses, but it seems to me you are lacking in several things needed to take ownership."

"Hardly. Do you have any idea the state this place was in when I came?" Vivi rummaged in a box for a blanket. "Duet didn't have a clue about pretty much anything. He had plenty of funds and a lot of old books stacked in piles everywhere. Hello computers. Hello internet. Hello _bank account._ All that stuff was me. I've got access to all of it and I don't even think he knows how to change his password. I'm lucky he was willing to _learn_ how to use a smartphone so I could text and call him. You think he's part of the 'not human' club? He definitely seemed out of place."

Mystery lifted a hind leg to scratch his ear. "Something was always strange about him. I've never been able to pin him down. He is absolutely human, and at the same time, absolutely not. I have no way to reconcile this sense. Every smell on him is human, but there is something wrong with the way he moves."

"Gotta be clearer than that, buddy."

"Hmmm. Have you ever heard someone whose second language is English, but they study the language so well that they become fluent in it?"

"Once or twice." Vivi unfurled a blanket over the books. "What of it?"

"How can you still tell it is their second language?"

Vivi paused. "Well… I guess with the people I heard, they were _too_ good at it. They didn't use expressions, and everything they said was polished and formal."

"Exactly. When I watched Duet, it was as if his movements were studied. Carefully copied. He slipped a few times, but whenever he was in control of himself, every movement was made with some level of concentration."

"Fantastic. So we've got something in a human body that isn't human. At least he's not out for converts, or I'd have been a zombie or something by now. Shove me a box, would ya? I'll need some more padding to make this thing sleep-able."

Mystery lowered his head, butting a box within Vivi's reach. She sliced her keys along the tape and pulled the flaps back, hoping for clothes.

She was greeted by a large, neatly folded purple sweater. She hadn't neatly folded _anything_. All her clothes had been shoved into whatever boxes she could scrounge, jammed in next to books and often wrapped around dishes to keep them from breaking. And she didn't own any purple sweaters.

"Mystery, I think this is the wrong box." Her voice didn't sound right coming out of her mouth like that, it was too high pitched.

Mystery reared up, placing his paws on the edge of the box. "I don't think this is the wrong box, Vivi."

Vivi's fingernails made little crescents in the cardboard. "Look. Obviously you've been hiding Lewis' things for a reason. I haven't seen any since day one of coming back, and that's the day you went and hid them all. Suddenly you're pushing this box of stuff at me and saying 'look at it'?"

"Vivi, Lewis was completely erased from your mind. I've never seen a case quite like this. Now, there's nothing I can do about you knowing what I am, but now that you know, perhaps we can work on this little issue together instead of me hiding all the triggers."

Filling her mouth with cotton balls would have left it moister than it had suddenly become. The box might as well have been full of snakes knotted in on each other, why couldn't she take the sweater out and see what was under it?

"Mystery, what did this to me?" Now her voice was _smaller_ than she wanted it, why was nothing working like it should? "Was it the Shiker, like it hurt Arthur it erased my memories?"

"It is consistent with what I know of him, and we know of no other spiritual entity that was there that night."

Vivi stared at the sweater. "He stole someone from me." She grabbed the edge of the sweater, tugging it out of place. "Someone precious. The way everyone talks about Lewis, he was probably the most important person in my life. Then this Shiker takes all that's left of him too." She gathered the sweater into her arms. Nausea swirled in her stomach, but it had lessened since the first time she'd seen his effects. "I want him back. There aren't a lot of people who would put up with me, Mystery, and he actually wanted to." She hugged the sweater, burying her face in the scratchy dyed wool. "He wouldn't have moved in if he didn't."

Mystery's head nudged up under her arm, and she pulled him into her lap, hugging him and the sweater together. "Okay. You put up with me too. I don't know why, but I'm glad."

"It's simple. You aided me in a time when I rather desperately needed it, and without requiring anything of me in return. What I gave you was a gift of my own volition." He lifted a lip bitterly. "Many would steal the hoshi no tama to force my friendship and protection."

Crestfallen, Vivi murmured, "But that's nothing. I didn't know you were a kitsune. Who's to say I wouldn't have done that if I'd known?"

Mystery lifted a brow. "Now are you just saying what you think I might say, or what you're really worried about?" He settled down in Vivi's lap. "I question you, do _you_ think it would have mattered?"

Vivi shook her head slowly. "I don't think so. I hope it wouldn't have made a difference."

"You, of course, can never know what would have been. But there are traits humans have that make it possible to predict their choices." He nudged her arm. "And I know for a fact you would not have harmed me."

Vivi scratched behind his ear, her eyes wandering back to the box. Other things were visible now; spines of cookbooks, black backed books, smaller boxes labeled private, DVD cases, a clunky looking laptop, and a tiny gray box. "What do you know about Lewis?"

"That he was a good and loyal human. That he loved you dearly, and was easily the type to get himself killed protecting those he cared about. Probably would have, if death hadn't come for him some other way as it did." Mystery's ears lowered. "I regret being too slow to understand what was happening to Arthur. I was rather fond of Lewis."

"Nobody blames you, buddy." She worked her fingers around his collar for a bit before reaching for the box. "Alright, if you think I can handle this. Let's see what we can dig up on the love of my life, yeah?"

…..

 _Something's different_ , Kay thought as she sat next to Arthur, watching him solder tiny panels in place along his new prosthetic's internal structure. Maybe it was the fact that Arthur met her halfway down the hall after she rang the desk bell this time. Or maybe it was the warm smile on his face and the way he wrapped his only arm around her waist and lifted her a couple inches off the ground. He couldn't spin her around without his other arm, but the token motion reminded her of the excitement he used to bring to their secret dates, before they lost Lewis. Or maybe it was the way he kept looking up at her with that wistful smile, then turning back to his arm and feverishly twirling screwdrivers and firing soldering guns.

"You shouldn't come over for awhile," she said quietly. "It took Mom a really long time to calm Aji down. I don't think she's serious, but it would be good if she doesn't see you right now."

Arthur winced, flashing a thumbs up in acknowledgement before scooping up an allen wrench and sticking it into the mechanisms.

"Knowing you, you've got a billion questions, huh?" Kay pulled one knee up in her chair and crossed her arms over it. "I'll try and answer what I can, but Mom doesn't really talk much about the siren thing beyond teaching us to control our songs as much as possible. And it's not like I'm _the_ siren, I guess that's her. But she doesn't talk about that either. I guess it's a moot point until you get your arm fixed anyway."

She scanned the stretch of wall behind Arthur's work desk. He had a tool rack set up on one side of a whiteboard. A magnet pinned a photo of the Mystery Skulls to the whiteboard. Her lips curled at the memory. Lewis had grabbed Vivi and Arthur, hefting them off the ground in a bear hug, and called over Vivi's protests for Kay to grab the camera.

Several phrases had been written around the photo in a messy scrawl, slanted in an upward right diagonal.

_Negative feelings. Intoxicating? Power boost? Entertainment?_

_Protective amulets and charms. Vivi or Ebay._

_Flame retardant clothes_

_New phone_

_Tune up van_

_Research Teles. History with the gods?_

_Hairclips, Dulcie_

_Meynung Shiker - no leads. Ask Mystery again_

_Lewis and Shiker. Why?_

_More details from Vivi. "Glowy Chloe." What are we dealing with?_

_Neutralization for hoshi no tama. Duet scary._

Kay glanced at Arthur out of the corner of her eye. His work on the arm was near frenetic and had been since she sat down. He could only go so fast with one hand, though. She could almost hear the questions ricocheting around in his skull, driving him to finish as quickly as possible.

"Hey, Arthur?" She rubbed her right arm self-consciously. The clicking of tools stopped, and she hedged, "It's not like I'd do this all the time, you understand. But you probably really want to talk, right? I mean, it's got to be hard the way things are. And I really don't want to tell you to do stuff, especially now, but maybe this once."

The silence coiled around her. She hunched her shoulders. "Of course I don't have to. I won't if you don't want me to. I'd never do something like that under normal circumstances."

Arthur's fingers pried her hand off her right arm where it was plucking at the skin. He pressed her hand to his face, mouthing " **Please** " against her fingers.

 _If he's asking…_ Kay steadied herself. "Arthur, say something."

Arthur's mouth opened. Immediately sweat broke out on his forehead and his pupils dilated. He choked out a strangled cry.

"Stop!" She pulled her hand back. "Just stop. You don't have to, it's alright!"

Arthur slumped back, taking in a slow breath before sitting back up and shaking his head. Grabbing a dry erase marker, he scrawled on the whiteboard. **Again.**

"What? But it wasn't working! You wanted to obey me but couldn't."

Arthur nodded once, but tapped his finger against the whiteboard. **Again.** He added a sentence. **Use my name like you did before.**

Kay nodded, bracing herself for another try. "Arthur, speak to me."

His arm shook, rattling the whiteboard and leaving a marker smear across his notes as he leaned on it for balance.

"Arthur," she stood, allowing hints of a melody into her command. "Speak to me."

He opened his mouth again and she fought the urge to countermand herself when all that came out were short gasping breaths.

 _My song will be freedom._ The feeling of the wind through her feathers and the sight of land shrinking in the distance. Tearing through the clouds, her passage forming them into new shapes. The thought of going on forever, never stopping.

"Arthur." The song was low, and her voice trembled with restraint as she wove her words into new music. "Ask me your questions. Tell me what you've been thinking about. Tell me what you're researching." The inside of her skin prickled against her control. She could sing no higher, she would endanger the whole shop.

Arthur rocked back on his heels, the cords in his neck standing out and sweat darkening his shirt.

"Tell me," she faltered at the thought that crossed her mind. But then, what could the command hurt? "Tell me if you'd really be happy like this with me. Tell me the truth."

Arthur's hand gripped the back of his chair as he doubled over it. "Chhhhhhhh…." His teeth grated against each other. "Chhhhhhoooooooose… onnnnnnne."

It was like he was dragging every syllable over jagged rock, but at least he'd said something. She had to get him talking more, and she had a pretty good clue what he wanted to talk about. "Ask me your questions, Arthur."

"Mmmmm-mmm-mmusic…" he threw his hand out to the side. "Ev-everywhere. H-hhhowww do yy-yyou?"

"We control the urge with practice and limited exposure. We know every place we have to visit that plays music. The grocery store. The drugstore. A couple shops. We're in and out as fast as we can." She snorted. "We practically have timing down to a science. Sometimes cars pass us playing music, but they're out of hearing in a few seconds. We make it work."

His hand rose off the chair, pointing at her arms. "C-c-caaann really fffffffly?"

Smoothing a hand down her arm, she nodded.

His fingertips brushed her skin gingerly. Sweat still dripped from his face and his hand trembled, but his voice rasped less as he managed, "Hurrrts?"

The prickles under her skin subsided at the touch. "It used to. Not so much anymore."

His hand trailed up her arm and cupped the side of her face, drawing her attention to his intent stare. "Kay. G-good p-p-person?"

That wasn't siren analysis. Glancing aside, she answered, "I haven't killed anyone, if that's what you're asking. Though I almost did Lewis in by accident when I started."

Insistent fingers tugged her face back. "Goo-ood person-on?"

"Why are you asking me? I think so." She hugged her arms. "I hope so."

"You l-like m-me s-still?"

"What do you mean 'still'?"

He gestured at a small empty space at the back edge of his desk.

_Right. His radio. The one I smashed._

"S-still like m-me?"

Swallowing, she tilted her head forward, resting her forehead against his. "That was really stupid. Don't ever, ever do that again. But yes."

His arm curled around her waist, pulling her close. "Then y-yes. Happy."

Warmth spread across her face. She leaned her head on his shoulder. "Me too."


	28. Hotter Than a House on Fire

Arthur's alarm was making an annoying high pitched shriek. He reached toward it, fumbling with the snooze.

Today was the day the Mystery Skulls 2.0 would take down team Tome Tomb, as Vivi dubbed them. It had taken a little longer than Arthur would have liked to get his prosthetic together, but the extra few days had been worth it. The interior cooling system and molybdenum plating would keep his arm intact under intense heating conditions _and_ angry siren-wrenching.

_Where is the snooze button? Ugh, Uncle Lance left the heat on all night._

The body harness was still an issue, but there was no setting the implant any deeper than it already was. Between work on the prosthetic and cobbling necessary talismans together, a week and a half had flown right by. He'd kept communication with Vivi limited to Gchat sessions, hoping to surprise her with a verbal greeting when they were ready to head out. Kay had been over nearly every day, working with him to make speech easier. In her presence he was at his most verbally collected, but even when she was absent he could stammer out broken sentences now. His sense of self was stronger every time; he was Arthur Kingsmen, and the Shiker's memories were just memories. Kay's voice might have bound him to her words, but it also bound him to the sense of who he was.

He coughed, shifting the blankets off with the sweep of a leg. He'd been pushing the snooze button for a solid minute, why wasn't it shutting off?

_My alarm clock doesn't sound like that._

The thought barely registered before a hefty crash from his door sent him flying upright. Lance staggered in, his shirt pulled over his nose as smoke poured in after him. "Kid are ye daft, that's the fire alarm, what're you doin' still a'bed? Get yer arse out!"

Arthur grabbed his prosthetic off the table, tucking it under his arm and pelting after his Uncle. The living room was already crawling with flames, but there was a clear enough path to the door to make it out. The wail of approaching fire trucks swelled as they rounded the corner up the street. Lance tugged Arthur across the street, clearing a good distance from their house.

As he watched the flames lick up the side of the house, he had the weirdest feeling he should feel worse about watching something burn. According to Vivi, he'd nearly been burned to death once, so why didn't seeing fire bother him?

"Hey!" Lance snarled, hurtling back across the street. "Hey!"

"W-w-w!" Arthur groaned. He was rattled and it was still hard to talk. He followed his Uncle, who plunged into the bushes at the side of the house and emerged dragging a gangly redhead out of the shrubs.

"Leggo of me!" Aji swung a fist, but Lance caught the arm and twisted it behind her back, hauling her several yards back from the house.

 _Aji? What are you doing here? You weren't…_ He glanced back at the house fire, then back to Aji, eyes wide.

"Yeah, you cry, Kingsmen," Aji sneered. "Sucks you woke up. OW!"

Lance twisted her other arm behind her back, locking both arms in a secure hold. "Did you do this?"

"No," Aji sneered, "I don't remember anything about any fire, I must have had my memory erased. Oh dear, suddenly I can't talk anymore either. The matches must have magically lit themselves."

Heat crawled up the back of Arthur's neck. Aji had taken it way too far. "I d-d-did-dn't t-t-try to k-kill Lew," he whispered harshly. "You d-d-d-did this-is-"

"What do you know, it finally talks." She spat at him, wincing at Lance's grip. "Either you were faking it the whole time, or you really did become my sister's lapdog."

Arthur's prosthetic clattered to the ground as his arm swung back.

"Kid!" Lance barked, and Arthur's hand stayed where it was. "Don't go here. She's in enough crap as it is."

"No I'm not. You don't have proof," Aji muttered.

"Aji, ye've not been out in the world much if ye think arson isn't easy to spot. If ye left anything, it's arson. An' we found you by the house. An' we have two eyewitnesses to yer confession, me an' Artie."

"You gonna add in the fact that I did it because Arthur killed my brother?" Aji asked bitterly. "Or does that conveniently get left out of the story?"

"Yer carryin' on a war not even yer family backs, kiddo. Artie would'a never hurt Lewis if'n he could help it. If you lost sight'a that, not my problem." He hauled her to her feet. "What is my problem is pressin' charges. Minor or not, ye'v become a danger."

Arthur scooped up his prosthetic, following with a sinking feeling in his gut. As police cars pulled up behind the fire trucks, Mrs. Pepper's face flashed through his mind. Aji was fifteen, what was she doing setting fires? She came from a good home, right? If a bit secluded and reeking of mythology. Everyone else believed him, why didn't she? Mrs. Pepper was so concerned about something happening to Kay when he'd talked to her, but was something happening to Aji too?

He'd have Vivi bring her book on ancient deities on their little road trip. Whatever curse Mrs. Pepper had mentioned could have something to do with why his house was currently on fire. Right after he gave a statement or a written confirmation or whatever they'd ask him for.

…...

Vivi checked her watch. The van was loaded with everything they needed, what was taking Squire so long?

She checked again. She needed something for Arthur's talisman base, something he could keep out of sight. Hers…

She fingered the little gray box she'd pulled from Lewis' belongings. It weighed like lead in her purse, but she couldn't have imagined a better talisman base as long as Lewis really was the kind of guy everyone said. He would understand her taking it, he would have wanted her protected.

Squire had been right about waiting, of course, and the week had been well spent. Running Tome Tomb gave her back an income and a place to stay, even if she was living off take-out for now. Visitors loved Mystery as the store's new mascot and were quick to accept Vivi's excuse that Duet had left on personal business. After hours, she and Mystery pored through Duet's back room book collection. Duet's little "hobby" ran a lot deeper than she'd suspected; he had a veritable treasure trove of limited edition spellbooks and occult writings. Several volumes had pages ripped out, but there was more than enough information for them to formulate a good defense spell.

But, like any protective spell, it needed an anchor. Vivi's was already cast, but she needed Squire present for her to cast protection on his talisman.

"And you can deal with Duet and Chloe's pendants, Mystery?" She glanced at the back seat where he had stretched out.

He opened one eye. "Now that I know what they are, yes. I did not have enough time to react before. As long as we are dealing with Duet and Chloe on their own, it should not be a problem. One sniff of the Shiker, though, and we retreat."

She checked the glove compartment again. The credit card for the Mystery Skulls. Hers and Arthur's documentation as paranormal investigators. A black book with unfamiliar handwriting in it, detailing the Mystery Skulls' general expenses for the last dozen cases to give her a guideline on fair pricing. Clothes, blankets, first-aid kits, water, and emergency rations in the back of the van.

Her phone chirped, and she flipped it open.

**Sorry I'm late. Had to give statement. Kay can't make it.**

She frowned. According to earlier texts, Kay had agreed to join them on the trip to find team Tome Tomb. She texted back, **Statement? Why can't Kay make it?**

**Kay's busy because Aji burned my house.**

**WHAT**

**Almost there. Bring your ancient deity book please.**

Vivi stared at her phone before closing it slowly. "Aji's gone kerblonkers," she muttered, sliding out of the van. "Siren or not, if she's starting to pull stuff I'll break her arms. Nobody hurts Squire on my watch."

Locating the book was easy enough. Her personal collection was housed in the back near Duet's stash, but on a separate shelf. She pulled a large cloth-wrapped bundle from its carefully cleared spot. She'd had to suspend restoration on it due to precarious finances, but she hoped to resume work on it within a couple months. It could travel as long as she was careful with it.

As she exited Tome Tomb, she caught sight of Arthur scooting into the driver's seat. She slid in on the other side and Arthur flashed her a weary smile as he buckled in.

"So, no burns this time. You got out scot-free." She scowled. "Aji took it way too far. Tell me she's locked up."

"Sh-sh-she's l-l-locked up."

"Well at least there's that and she won't be after you for a while SQUIRE WHEN DID YOU START TALKING?"

"Wh-when my girlf-f-friend told m-me to." He flashed a cheeky grin, turning the key in the ignition.

"So it is true, then." Mystery slid up in between them. Vivi reached over, buckling the middle seatbelt around him. "You're in thrall."

"Thrall?" Vivi echoed.

"He's bound to obey her when she gives him a definitive order," Mystery clarified.

Arthur's grin turned sheepish. "G-guess so. H-has its b-benefits."

Vivi punched his shoulder lightly. "Good to hear your voice again, even if you're pulling an ongoing Porky Pig."

"Be-dee-be-dee-be-dee," he laughed, backing up.

"So Aji really did it. How's Kay holding up?"

Sighing, Arthur shook his head. "Sh-she's not. She s-said to call wh-when we get t-to our first stop. I'll f-f-find out more then."

"Oh, Squire, wait! I need your talisman base, remember? Something important to you."

"Ah." He put his foot on the brake and flipped open a panel in his prosthetic, withdrawing a long, pale yellow feather.

Vivi took it. "You sure about that? I mean, it looks cool, but it's not that durable. Where'd you find it?"

"K-K-Kay's," he said softly. "Sh-she gave it t-t-to me for l-luck. I'll k-k-keep it in m-my arm, it'll b-be safe."

Vivi turned the feather over in her hands, thinking of her own talisman. "Okay, Squire. My phone's in the bag. Open up the tracker app, and let's hit the road. I'll spell the feather for you."

Arthur pulled out onto the road as Vivi stroked the feather, murmuring over it. "L-looks like they b-b-booked it over three cities already. T-tell me we're gonna get a couple c-c-cases along th-the way, this could g-get pricy."

"Shh, concentrating!"

"R-right."

After a few minutes, the feather took on a slight sheen, and Vivi's chanting wound down. "There we go. Here." She tucked it into his vest pocket. "You can put it in your arm later."

"Wh-what's yours?"

"Um… something I found in Lewis' things." She swallowed, rubbing one hand over the knuckles of the other. "Let's just say I'm pretty sure it's a good base item."

Arthur kept his mechanical hand on the wheel, reaching over with his right hand to squeeze her arm. "I'm s-s-sure. He r-really cared a-a-about you." He swerved around a squirrel in the road, grabbing the wheel with both hands again. "Um, s-so. Wh-what else d-did you f-find out about him?"

"I couldn't deal with looking at some of his stuff, but I guess he kept his journals pretty private when he was with me, 'cause looking through them didn't bother me." She paused. "Well, they didn't make me sick, but they're disturbing. He's got sloppy sketches of a really weird skeleton, and most of his entries are about being sure someone is watching him, but not being able to do anything about it. And he keeps talking about how there's blank spots, and he can't remember what happened or where he got his scars."

Arthur frowned. "H-h-he always s-s-said he w-wouldn't tell me, b-but said it l-l-like he knew what-at it was. Y-you're saying h-h-he didn't r-r-remember it h-h-himself?"

"If his journal's telling the truth, he had huge blank spots, kinda like I do. What about you, did you figure out any demon stuff?"

Arthur bobbed his head. "S-s-some. Signing's s-still easier. Lat-at-ater? First hot-tel."

"Fair enough." Vivi reached for the radio. "Let's get some tunes going at least. It's gonna be a long drive."

Arthur hit the gas pedal as the edge of town came into view, and the motor revved in response. Vivi leaned back, one hand on Mystery's head, glancing out the window as trees passed by. Mid-song, the radio crackled, the song shifting to a familiar beat.

_'Cause the world might do me in_

_It's all right 'cause I'm with friends_

_Guess I'm giving up again_

_It doesn't matter_

Mystery's ears twitched. "Isn't this that song, Vivi?"

Vivi coughed. "Um, well."

"S-s-stood on a t-t-table in the P-Paradiso and d-d-declared we were th-the Mystery Skulls bec-cause it w-was your favorite s-s-song," Arthur snickered.

"We don't talk about that," she muttered.

Mystery butted her shoulder with his forehead. "Oh come now. Laugh at yourself a little."

The van lurched, throwing the three of them against their seatbelts. The engine cut out completely as they coasted to a stop, Vivi and Mystery shooting Arthur questioning stares.

"I… I m-m-meant to t-take a look at it…"

"Squire, we _just started our trip!"_ Vivi threw her hands up. "Who knows what shape Chloe's in right now, or what's happening to her. We already delayed a week, can't you get this hunk of junk going?"

Arthur tried the key once. Twice. Three times. The engine only coughed at him. "N-need tools f-from the sh-shop probably."

"You can't check it out now?"

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "You p-packed tools?"

Vivi blinked. "Um… clothes… and blankets…. but not tools…"

"Didn't th-th-think so. C-c-call U-Uncle Lance."

Vivi flipped open her phone. She shook it, pressing the buttons on the side. "Squire, my phone's dead."

"Wh-at?" He pulled his out, opening it. His screen was black as well. "Th-the heck is g-g-going on?"

"Not to interrupt, but perhaps the haunted house to our right will loan us a phone." Mystery raised a paw toward the passenger window. "Or perhaps we could inquire as to why it is interfering with our equipment."

Vivi glanced up. To the right of the van sprawled a two-story mansion that had seen better days. Purple light pulsed from its boarded up windows in a steady rhythm. "Ghosts don't mess with us unless we go looking for them, what's the deal? Come on, Squire. Let's see what the fuss is about. Maybe we can get in their good graces by helping them pass on."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE END! Of this fic. Keep your eyes peeled for the next one. "THE WEIGHT OF LIVING"


End file.
